A study published recently in Nature Communications has identified eight new genetic risk loci for myeloma, providing further insights into the genetic and biological basis of its predisposition. The research, performed at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and part funded by Myeloma UK involved a meta-analysis of pooled data from several independent genome-wide association…
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out new guidance for the diagnosis, treatment and care of myeloma patients with the aim of providing consistently excellent patient-focused care within NHS England. The new guidance has been created to cover aspects of management where in the past there was uncertainty or variation…
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidelines for consultation to improve the care of adults during the last few days of life. The guidelines are meant to replace the Liverpool Care Pathway which were phased out in 2014. Key recommendations highlight the importance of communication and shared decision-making involving…
The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) has revised the International Staging System (ISS) to enable better stratification of newly diagnosed myeloma patients. It now includes the detection of chromosomal abnormalities (CA) by interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation (iFISH) and the measurement of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) which, when combined with the previous ISS, provides powerful…
Myeloma UK and the UK Spinal Myeloma Working Group have jointly published a paper on the optimal management of spinal disease in myeloma patients. Published in the British Journal of Haematology, the article provides an overview of the treatment and management options for spinal myeloma disease and highlights the role of defined pathways to enable the…
Data from MUK one, the first trial to be conducted through the Myeloma UK Clinical Trial Network (CTN) have been published in the British Journal of Haematology. MUK one, a Phase II multicentre, open label, randomised trial aimed to identify the optimal starting dose of bendamustine when given in combination with thalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed…
Data from MUK one, the first trial to be conducted through the Myeloma UK Clinical Trial Network (CTN) has been published in the British Journal of Haematology. The publication represents a major milestone for the CTN by marking the completion of its first trial. MUK one, a Phase II multicentre, open label, randomised trial aimed…
The results of a reassessment of the nationally approved list of drugs made available through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) have been announced by NHS England. They confirm that Imnovid® (pomalidomide) for relapsed and refractory myeloma patients; Revlimid as a second-line treatment, and Velcade® as treatment for multiply relapsed Velcade-naive patients will remain on the list whereas…
A Myeloma UK funded study has found that myeloma patients regard the impact of symptoms on activity, emotional status and support factors to be the most important issues relating to their quality of life (QOL), highlighting the need to improve existing QOL assessment tools where the emphasis is on symptom status. The study, led by Dr…
The British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) and the United Kingdom Myeloma Forum (UKMF) Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Myeloma has recently been updated. Originally published in 2011, the latest changes to the guideline include the following recommendations: cytogenetic analysis should be performed in all patients at diagnosis; a second autologous stem…