Why Resilience Really Matters for Myeloma Patients

In this week’s blog, IMF Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Brian G.M. Durie talks about a very important ability that matters to myeloma patients—resilience and why it’s necessary for those facing a myeloma diagnosis. As Dr. Durie points out, the ongoing care for myeloma is a marathon, not a sprint. All throughout, resilience will, undoubtedly, need to be enhanced. He recounts a podcast interview with Sue Dunnett, a senior lecturer in the business school at the University of Edinburgh, where she makes a compelling point about how resilience is not really about bouncing back—it’s about having proactive strategies to be able to adapt to problems which might arise. Dr. Durie sees resilience in nature as an inspirational model—in a still-thriving 150-year-old banyan tree that was ravaged by fire, and among tardigrades who manage to survive intense gamma rays unscathed. If resilience can naturally occur among these creatures, so should it among human beings. With new immune therapy options becoming available in 2024 and beyond, Dr. Durie strongly advises resilience for myeloma patients to chart their way forward to seek the best new therapy option while having a deep understanding and being able to cope with potential toxicities from these new therapies.

Announcing the 2024 Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma

The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) proudly announces its selection of 12 student-mentor pairs for the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Program. These pairs, representing diverse backgrounds and experiences, will collaborate on projects aimed at addressing health disparities in myeloma care. From Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to prestigious medical institutions, these scholars bring unique perspectives to the table. Together with their mentors, they will delve into research, analysis, and advocacy, with the goal of fostering greater health equity in myeloma treatment and outcomes. The program, now in its second year, builds on the success of its inaugural cohort, which presented their findings at major medical conferences and even achieved publication.

Register Now for the Regional Community Workshop in Salt Lake City on
May 18

Join us for an in-person Regional Community Workshop on May 18 at the Marriott University Park (480 Wakera Way) in Salt Lake City. Speakers include Peter Forsberg, MD (University of Colorado School of Medicine — Aurora, CO); Doug Sborov, MD, MS (Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah — Salt Lake City, UT); IMF Nurse Leadership Board (NLB) Member Mary Steinbach, DNP, APRN; and Yelak Biru, IMF’s President and CEO. Topics to be covered include frontline therapy, maintenance therapies, relapsed therapies, clinical trials, management of myeloma-related symptoms and side effects, as well as side effects brought about by treatment. You will also hear from Yelak on IMF’s plans for growth and accelerated efforts toward finding a cure. There will also be a special panel featuring patient and care partner team, John and Ann Bailey. Don’t miss out: Join us and spread the word!

Sign Up for a Virtual Regional Community Workshop on May 21

Join this Virtual Regional Community Workshop on Tuesday, May 21, at 2:30 p.m. PT | 3:30 p.m. MT | 4:30 p.m. CT | 5:30 p.m. ET. IMF Chief Medical Officer Joseph Mikhael, MD, M.Ed., FRCPC, FACP, (TGen, City of Hope — Phoenix) will discuss multiple myeloma basics, its common symptoms and side effects, advances in initial myeloma diagnosis, the stages of myeloma treatment, induction therapy, transplant, and more. IMF Nurse Leadership Board (NLB) Member Kimberly Noonan, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCN, (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute — Boston) will discuss how patients can manage myeloma-related symptoms and side effects as well as the side effects brought on by treatment. David Vesole, MD, PhD, FACP, (John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center — Hackensack, NJ) will cover the types of relapsed disease, what doctors consider when selecting a treatment regimen, relapsed/refractory treatment options, how doctors treat triple and penta-class refractory myeloma, updates on clinical trials, and more. After each presentation with the experts, attendees will have ample time to ask questions. You don’t want to miss this informative session.

The IMF Announces This Year’s Patient and Family Seminar in Los Angeles

The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is excited to announce that the 2024 Patient and Family Seminar will take place on August 16-17, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA. The seminar is FREE, but in-person seating is LIMITED. The event’s keynote speaker Rafael Fonseca, MD, Hematologist, Director for Innovation and Transformational Relationships, and Professor of Medicine (Mayo Clinic — Phoenix, AZ) will present on “What is the Future of Myeloma?”

Other esteemed members of the myeloma community who will speak at this seminar include the following: IMF President and CEO, and myeloma patient Yelak Biru; Sagar Lonial, MD (Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University — Atlanta GA); Kansas City Area Myeloma Support Group Leader Wendy Thomas, RN, MSN, CHPN (Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion, University of Kansas Health System — Kansas City, MO); IMF InfoLine Advisor Teresa Miceli, RN, BSN, OCN (Mayo Clinic — Rochester, MN); Urvi Shah, MD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — New York, NY); Angela Dispenzieri, MD (Mayo Clinic — Rochester, MN); Robert Vescio, MD (Cedars-Sinai — Los Angeles, CA); IMF Chief Medical Officer Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP (TGen, City of Hope — Phoenix, AZ) IMF Nurse Leadership Board member Tiffany Richards, MS, ANP, AOCN (MD Anderson — Houston, TX); Triage Center’s Erin Bair, Esq.; IMF Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Danielle Doheny; and IMF Vice President of Philanthropy Sylvia Dsouza. You don’t want to miss this event that gathers top practitioners and educators in the field of myeloma under one roof!

Join the Amplify Black Myeloma Voices Virtual 5K Run/Walk

Would you like to run or walk to raise funds for the IMF M-Power Project — an initiative that partners with cities to improve health equity, increase access to care, and raise myeloma awareness in African American communities nationwide? For this virtual 5K Run/Walk, you can sign up and participate at your own pace. Run or walk from wherever you are located between May 18 and May 25. You may also purchase a Tribute Path Plaque in honor or in memory of a loved one. Together, we can amplify Black myeloma voices in a way that is empowering and fun!

Around the Web: Myeloma News

To keep you abreast of the most recent myeloma research findings, “The Myeloma Minute” features links to top myeloma content around the web. This article in Haematologica discusses “Factors associated with refractoriness or early progression after idecabtagene vicleucel in patients with relapsed/ refractory multiple myeloma.” This article in Blood Cancer Journal looks at “A comprehensive approach to evaluate genetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma using optical genome mapping.”

Visit April 2024 – Myeloma News from the Journals for overviews of top myeloma research from this past month. As always, we invite you to visit the IMF Newsroom for the most recent myeloma news.

Myeloma Made Simple Video Series with IMF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Mikhael

Xpovio (Selinexor) Made Simple! Join Dr. Joseph Mikhael to learn about Xpovio® (Selinexor), a drug in the treatment of myeloma that belongs to a new class of drugs called XPO1 inhibitors.