The Most-Read Myeloma Stories of 2021

People with multiple myeloma are living longer than ever, thanks to new treatments and drug combinations that continue to emerge. Alongside these new therapies also come ways to mitigate side effects to ensure that patients live as high-quality life as possible.

From new treatments to noteworthy deaths and clinicians who go the extra mile for their patients, CURE® looked back at the most-read myeloma articles of 2021. They were:

1. Treatments for Multiple Myeloma Are Transforming Lives

After receiving a myeloma diagnosis, many patients stress that the disease is incurable. However, new treatments continue to emerge for the disease, and survival times are increasing every few years, explained an expert from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

2. Multiple Myeloma 101: An Incurable But ‘Very Treatable’ Disease

Dr. Andrew Yee from Massachusetts General Hospital explained the basics of myeloma — from symptoms to look out for to staging and common demographics for the disease. He also highlighted recent research and advancements in myeloma that are helping patients with the disease live full lives.

3. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Dies From Multiple Myeloma

In July, Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense for Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George W. Bush, died from multiple myeloma. He was 88. In a statement, George W. Bush said that Rumsfeld, “never paled before tough decisions and never flinched from responsibility. He brought needed and timely reforms to the Department of Defense, along with a management style that stressed original thinking and accountability.”

4. Preventative Kineret May Ease CAR-T Cell Therapy Side Effects in Multiple Myeloma

CAR-T cell therapy is an exciting advance for the treatment of many hematologic malignancies, but can come with severe side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Luckily, recent research found that patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma being treated with the CAR-T cell agent orva-cel had decreased rates of moderate/severe CRS when they took the drug Kineret to prevent it.

5. The Myeloma Nurse Who Climbed a Mountain to Connect With Her Patients

For Donna Catamero, a nurse practitioner who specializes in myeloma, a hike alongside myeloma survivors, loved ones and fellow clinicians was just what she needed as an antidote to the burnout she has been facing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She climbed Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula through Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma, a joint effort between CURE® and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to raise funds and awareness for the disease.

For the latest news in myeloma, check out CURE®’s multiple myeloma page.

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