There are just a few meetings each year that provide the forum for the latest and greatest in Blood Cancer research, and in the US the two largest are ASH ( American Society of Hematology), and ASCO ( American Society of Clinical Oncology).

Each of these meetings have sessions that are specific to Multiple Myeloma, and you can find great information on research and the results of clinical trials that are being developed.   What you can also find is that the myeloma specialists attend these meetings, and they are the leaders in the Myeloma field and generally will  provide patients with the best and most up to date care.  Some who are in the thought leadership roles conduct presentations at these meetings, and some of the best of the best are asked to give their comments on what they feel are the most outstanding findings presented at this years meetings.  A recent article on the Managing Myeloma web site at the link:  http://www.managingmyeloma.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=709&Itemid=86  provides a great summary of the best of the best findings at this conference.  Another update from Patient Power that features Dr. Berenson, a Myeloma specialist from the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research can be found at the following link: http://www.patientpower.info/video/asco-myeloma-update-more-promising-medicines-on-the-way   I would recommend that you take a few minutes and listen to the experts.

The list is led by Dr. Parameswaran Hari, from the Medical College of Wisconsin, who has provided the best two and three year survival yet presented to this web site.   It also includes Dr. Palumbo of Italy who has provided data on clinical trials that show excellent results and, who by any measure is one of the best in all of Europe, and Dr. Anderson of Dana-Farber who is a thought leader in the US and has Clinical trial results on VRD that have now become a standard of treatment for newly diagnosed patients. Dr. Berenson has provided the best 5 year overall survival presented on this site and is definitely a US leader in the treatment of myeloma.   Please take the time to listen to these excellent myeloma professions talk about the current and future treatments.  You will find that a myeloma specialist is a must have for your team to insure the longest life expectancy.  

Good luck and may God Bless your Myeloma Journey/ [email protected]  

Dr. Brian Durie is a renowned multiple myeloma specialist and the CEO of the International Myeloma Foundation. The IMF plays a leadership role in the fight against this disease and a recent post on his Blog dove tails nicely with what we have been discussing in recent posts on this blog.  He will also be going over a summary of the recent myeloma research results on a live webcast June 28th 7:00am Eastern time of the June ASCO meeting (American Society of Clinical Oncology).  This is a great way to get a summary of the best of the best new information on myeloma research as well as new drugs in the pipeline.    His blog post is at the following address:  http://myeloma.org//MtEntryPage.action?source=/imf_blogs/myeloma_voices/2012/05/10-steps-to-seeking-a-second-opinion.html      To sign up for his webcast you can go to:  http://myeloma.org/ArticlePage.action?articleId=3695  Now that it is after June 28th, you can hear the recorded presentation and view the slides at: http://myeloma.org/ArticlePage.action?articleId=3696