Welcome to the IMF's Myeloma Minute News about myeloma treatment, research, support and the myeloma community from the International Myeloma Foundation. What's News What's New in Research Upcoming Seminars and Clinical Conferences Upcoming Events Items of Interest Help the IMF Donate to the IMF

WHAT'S NEWS IMF Scientific Advisors to Receive Prestigious Awards From the American Society of Hematology (from the American Society of Hematology) Scientific Advisory Board Chair Robert Kyle, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, will be presented with the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, which was established in 2007 to honor individuals who have made a lifelong commitment to the specialty and whose contributions have had a major impact on education, research, and/or practice. Dr. Kyle will receive the award for his contributions to the study of multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathies, amyloidosis, and related plasma-cell disorders. Scientific Advisor Kenneth Anderson, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, will be presented with the William Dameshek Prize, awarded to an individual who has made a recent outstanding contribution to the field. Dr. Anderson will be recognized for his contributions to the treatment of myeloma. NLB Members Create Myeloma Treatment Guidelines Anyone who has treated patients for multiple myeloma with the novel drugs lenalidomide, thalidomide, or bortezomib, knows how important early recognition of side effects can be. With prompt treatment most side effects can be effectively managed. Twenty nurses from around the country became the driving force to tackle this issue. (Nursing Spectrum article from Nurse.com) Download PDFs of the Patient Education Sheets from the Myeloma Treatment Guidelines for your use. On Friday, September 5, 2008, at 8 PM WE’RE THROWING A NATIONWIDE PARTY ..and you can be a featured host! New hope for bone marrow patients Edinburgh experts used blood stem cells from mice to mimic how humans produce the stem cells and found they were able to multiply them by 150 times. (from BBC News) How to Host an Afternoon Tea Here’s an elegant and easy way to build awareness about myeloma and raise money in your community, and the IMF will help. MEDICARE NEWS Medicare Prescription Drug Premiums to Rise in '09 The average monthly premium for Medicare's prescription drug plan will increase to an estimated $28 in 2009, three dollars more than this year's monthly premium. (from Forbes.com) Medicare Web Site Confounds Many Seniors A majority of seniors who visit the Medicare Web site find getting the information they need a frustrating experience, University of Miami researchers report. (from US News & World Report) Medicare Drug Plan Just to refresh our memories, here are articles from TheStreet.com going over the basics: Medicare Drug Plan: What It Is, How to Use It Medicare Drug Plan: What's Covered, What's Not Medicare Part D: What You'll Pay The IMF's 2nd Annual Comedy Celebration Benefiting the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund November 15, 2008 You won't want to miss this night of a thousand laughs hosted by Ray Romano, and featuring Jeff Garlin, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, Fred Willard and Robert Klein. How Molecules Out Of Balance Lead To Human Multiple Myeloma And Other Cancers An international team of scientists has identified processes that are heavily implicated in human multiple myeloma and other B cell cancers, moving us closer to developing quick tests and readouts that could help in the tailored treatment of patients. (from ScienceDaily) Proteolix Initiates Phase 1b Clinical Trial of Carfilzomib in a Combination Regimen for Patients With Relapsed Multiple Myeloma The Phase 1b clinical trial is designed to evaluate safety and to establish a maximum-tolerated dose of carfilzomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone on a twenty-eight day treatment cycle. (from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) New opportunity for American Express Cardholders to support IMF Are you an American Express ® Cardmember? Do you collect Membership Rewards points? If so, you will be interested to learn that you can redeem your Membership Rewards points to help the IMF.

WHAT'S NEW IN RESEARCH ARTICLES (IMF Scientific Advisors are marked with an *) Rapid mobilization of functional donor hematopoietic cells without G-CSF using AMD3100, an antagonist of the CXCR4/SDF-1 interaction Steven M. Devine, Ravi Vij, Michael Rettig, Laura Todt, Kiley McGlauchlen, Nicholas Fisher, Hollie Devine, Daniel C. Link, Gary Calandra, Gary Bridger, Peter Westervelt, and John F. DiPersio Blood, 15 August 2008, Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 990-998 (full text of article) A freeway to stem cells? Alois Gratwohl, and Aleksandra Wodnar-Filipowicz Blood, 15 August 2008, Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 923-924. A comment on Devine et al, listed above. Bortezomib, doxorubicin and dexamethasone in advanced multiple myeloma A. Palumbo*, F. Gay, S. Bringhen, A. Falcone, N. Pescosta, V. Callea, T. Caravita, F. Morabito, V. Magarotto, M. Ruggeri, I. Avonto, P. Musto, N. Cascavilla, B. Bruno and M. Boccadoro* Annals of Oncology 2008 19(6):1160-1165 (originally published online on March 6, 2008) Thalidomide maintenance following high-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell support in myeloma. Chang JE, Juckett MB, Callander NS, Kahl BS, Gangnon RE, Mitchell TL, Longo WL. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma. 2008 Jun;8(3):153-8 Multiple Myeloma, an update on diagnosis and treatment. Caers J, Vande Broek I, De Raeve H, Michaux L, Trullemans F, Schots R, Van Camp B, Vanderkerken K. Eur J Haematol. 2008 Jul 11. [Epub ahead of print] The role of high-dose chemotherapy followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Siddiqui M, Gertz M.* Leuk Lymphoma. 2008 Apr 30:1-16. Autologous stem cell transplantation in patients of 70 years and older with multiple myeloma: Results from a matched pair analysis. Kumar SK, Dingli D, Lacy MQ, Dispenzieri A, Hayman SR, Buadi FK, Rajkumar SV*, Litzow MR, Gertz MA.* Am J Hematol 2008 Aug;83(8):614-7. Stem cell mobilization with cyclophosphamide overcomes the suppressive effect of lenalidomide therapy on stem cell collection in multiple myeloma Mark T, Stern J, Furst JR, Jayabalan D, Zafar F, LaRow A, Pearse RN, Harpel J, Shore T, Schuster MW, Leonard JP, Christos PJ, Coleman M, Niesvizky R. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2008 Jul;14(7):795-8. A freeway to stem cells? Alois Gratwohl and Aleksandra Wodnar-Filipowicz Blood 2008;112 923-924 Seven year median time to progression with thalidomide for smoldering myeloma: Partial response identifies subset requiring earlier salvage therapy for symptomatic disease Bart Barlogie*, Frits van Rhee, John D Shaughnessy, Jr, Joshua Epstein, Shmuel Yaccoby, Mauricio Pineda-Roman, Klaus Hollmig, Yazan Alsayed, Antje Hoering, Jackie Szymonifka, Elias Anaissie, Nathan Petty, Naveen S Kumar, Geetika Srivastava, Bonnie Jenkins, John Crowley*, and Jerome B. Zeldis Blood published 31 July 2008, 10.1182/blood-2008-06-164228 Multiparameter flow cytometry remission is the most relevant prognostic factor for multiple myeloma patients who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation Bruno Paiva, Maria-Belen Vidriales, Jorge Cervero, Gema Mateo, Jose J. Perez, Maria Angeles Montalban, Anna Sureda, Laura Montejano, Norma C. Gutierrez, Alfonso Garcia de Coca, Natalia de las Heras, Maria Victoria Mateos, Maria Consuelo Lopez-Berges, Raimundo Garcia-Boyero, Josefina Galende, Jose Hernandez, Luis Palomera, Dolores Carrera, Rafael Martinez, Javier de la Rubia, Alejandro Martin, Joan Blade*, Juan Jose Lahuerta, Alberto Orfao, and Jesus F. San Miguel* Blood published 31 July 2008, 10.1182/blood-2008-05-159624 First thalidomide clinical trial in multiple myeloma: a decade Frits van Rhee, Madhav Dhodapkar, John D. Shaughnessy, Jr, Elias Anaissie, David Siegel*, Antje Hoering, Jerome Zeldis, Bonnie Jenkins, Seema Singhal*, Jayesh Mehta*, John Crowley*, Sundar Jagannath*, and Bart Barlogie* Blood 2008;112 1035-1038 Anti-CS1 humanized monoclonal antibody HuLuc63 inhibits myeloma cell adhesion and induces antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in the bone marrow milieu Yu-Tzu Tai, Myles Dillon, Weihua Song, Merav Leiba, Xian-Feng Li, Peter Burger, Alfred I. Lee, Klaus Podar, Teru Hideshima, Audie G. Rice, Anne vanAbbema, Lynne Jesaitis, Ingrid Caras, Debbie Law, Edie Weller, Wanling Xie,Paul Richardson*, Nikhil C. Munshi*, Claire Mathiot, Herve Avet-Loiseau*, Daniel E. H. Afar, and Kenneth C. Anderson* Blood 2008;112 1329-1337 Dexamethasone-induced apoptotic mechanisms in myeloma cells investigated by analysis of mutant glucocorticoid receptors Sanjai Sharma and Alan Lichtenstein Blood 2008;112 1338-1345 Validation of PDGFR{beta} and c-Src tyrosine kinases as tumor/vessel targets in patients with multiple myeloma: preclinical efficacy of the novel, orally available inhibitor dasatinib Addolorata Maria Luce Coluccia, Teresa Cirulli, Paola Neri, Domenica Mangieri, Maria Cristina Colanardi, Antonio Gnoni, Nicola Di Renzo, Franco Dammacco, Pierfrancesco Tassone, Domenico Ribatti, Carlo Gambacorti-Passerini, and Angelo Vacca Blood 2008;112 1346-1356 Differential pattern of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immunity to MAGE-A1/A2/A3 in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma Oliver Charles Goodyear, Guy Pratt, Andrew McLarnon, Mark Cook, Karen Piper, and Paul Moss Blood published 24 July 2008, 10.1182/blood-2008-04-149393 Effect of pathologic fractures on survival in multiple myeloma patients: a case control study Mehmet Sonmez, Tulin Akagun, Murat Topbas, Umit Cobanoglu, Bircan Sonmez, Mustafa Yilmaz, Ercument Ovali and Serdar Bedii Omay Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research 2008, 27:11 The incidence of and risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding among 1514 patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: implications for VTE prevention David E. Gerber, Jodi B. Segal, M. Yair Levy, Joyce Kane, Richard J. Jones, and Michael B. Streiff Blood 2008;112 504-510 Constitutive expression of IL-12R{beta}2 on human multiple myeloma cells delineates a novel therapeutic target Irma Airoldi, Claudia Cocco, Nicola Giuliani, Marina Ferrarini, Simona Colla, Emanuela Ognio, Giuseppe Taverniti, Emma Di Carlo, Giovanna Cutrona, Vittorio Perfetti, Vittorio Rizzoli, Domenico Ribatti, and Vito Pistoia Blood 2008;112 750-759 Cyproheptadine displays preclinical activity in myeloma and leukemia Xinliang Mao, Sheng-ben Liang, Rose Hurren, Marcela Gronda, Sue Chow, G. Wei Xu, Xiaoming Wang, Reza Beheshti Zavareh, Nazir Jamal, Hans Messner, David W. Hedley, Alessandro Datti, Jeff L. Wrana, Yuanxiao Zhu, Chang-xin Shi, Kyle Lee, Rodger Tiedemann, Suzanne Trudel, A. Keith Stewart*, and Aaron D. Schimmer Blood 2008;112 760-769 Familial Myeloma Henry T. Lynch, M.D., Kelly Ferrara, M.S., Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D*., Elizabeth A. Coleman, Ph.D., Jane F. Lynch, B.S.N., Dennis Weisenburger, M.D., Warren Sanger, Ph.D., Patrice Watson, Ph.D., Henry Nipper, Ph.D., Vinetta Witt, Ph.D., and Stephan Thomé, M.D. N Engl J Med. 2008 Jul 10;359(2):152-7. Reduction of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) after implementation of preventive measures in patients with multiple myeloma treated with zoledronic acid M. A. Dimopoulos*, E. Kastritis, C. Bamia, I. Melakopoulos, D. Gika, M. Roussou, M. Migkou, E. Eleftherakis-Papaiakovou, D. Christoulas, E. Terpos and A. Bamias Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdn554 An integrative genomic approach reveals coordinated expression of intronic miR-335, miR-342, and miR-561 with deregulated host genes in multiple myeloma Domenica Ronchetti, Marta Lionetti, Laura Mosca, Luca Agnelli, Adrian Andronache, Sonia Fabris, Giorgio Lambertenghi Deliliers and Antonino Neri (from 7th Space) CLINICAL TRIALS VELCADE® trials REVLIMID® trials THALOMID® trials If you would like more information about any clinical trial, you can call the IMF Hotline at 800-452-CURE. The Myeloma Matrix has a current list of all myeloma trials from pre-clinical to recently FDA approved. If you would like to browse trials currently open for enrollment, visit the Clinical Trials page of the IMF web site. Among the links, you will find EmergingMed, with whom the IMF has entered into a partnership to assist you in matching trials to your particular patient profile (i.e., stage of disease, previous treatment, how well you are able to carry out the activities of daily living, etc.) and by doing so, increase your chances of being eligible. You can also learn more about clinical trials by reviewing materials from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). To see the summaries of newsworthy clinical trial results, visit the National Cancer Institute Multiple Myeloma Trial Results.

UPCOMING SEMINARS AND CLINICAL CONFERENCES Note: Some of the international seminar cities have been set, but the venues and agendas are still in the works. Check back often if you are interested in attending, as we post the sites and speakers as they are confirmed. Berlin Regional Community Workshop - Berlin, Germany September 2, 2008 Patient Day - Podebrady, Czech Republic September 6, 2008 2nd Annual Hawaii Regional Community Workshop - Honolulu, Hawaii September 12, 2008 Myeloma Canada: Patient, Family & Healthcare Professionals Conference - Toronto, Canada September 12-13, 2008 5th International Symposium on Clinical Applications of Serum Free Light Chain Analysis - Bath, United Kingdom September 18-19, 2008 BMT InfoNet's "Celebrating a Second Chance at Life" - Dallas, Texas September 20-21, 2008 Minneapolis/Twin Cities Regional Community Workshop - St. Louis Park, Minnesota September 27, 2008 The Multiple Myeloma Conference - Pewaukee, Wisconsin October 4, 2008 Paris Patient & Family Seminar - Paris, France October 10, 2008 2nd Annual Greater Kansas City Area Regional Community Workshop - Kansas City, Missouri October 11, 2008 Rome Patient & Family Seminar - Rome, Italy October 17, 2008 East Texas Regional Community Workshop - Longview, Texas October 18, 2008 4th Annual Southwest Symposium - Tempe, Arizona November 22, 2008 San Francisco Patient & Family Seminar - San Francisco, California April 17-18, 2009

UPCOMING EVENTS Hot Time in the Summertime! From a day of beauty to a walk in the clouds, from yard sales to concerts, IMFers are creating fun days to raise money to help support the important work that the IMF is doing in both research and education. Check out the FUNdraisers below and show your support by donating to their effort online: Stand Up to Cancer - Nationwide September 5, 2008 Traveling the World in Search of a Cure - Jenkintown, Pennsylvania September 26, 2008 Susan Young's Yard Sale in honor of Douglas Farrell - Ridge, New York September 27, 2008 5th Annual Peggyann Pytlik Walk of HOPE for a CURE of MYELOMA in Honor of Joe "Duffer" Dutton - Niagara Falls, New York September 28, 2008 10th Annual Evening 4 A Cure - Lancaster, New York November 1, 2008 The IMF's 2nd Annual Comedy Celebration Benefiting the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund - Los Angeles, CA November 15, 2008 ONGOING EVENTS Cents for Cells Beth Morgan is helping the IMF by raising a penny for each stem cell that will be collected for her BMT. She has dedicated Cents for Cells to the memory of Chris Hollyer. Commissions for Chris: A Campaign to Honor Chris Hollyer Jo Marie Gray is donating her new-client commissions from the sale of Arbonne Cosmetics to the Chris Hollyer Research Fund at the IMF. Clyde's Ride for the Cure Clyde is riding his bicycle to support the work of the IMF. "I say, 'until there is a cure I ride for the IMF.'" Debbie Exner's Walk for Myeloma Debbie walked the PF Chang Half Marathon in Phoenix on January 13, 2008 to raise money for the IMF in honor of her mother. You can still donate to her cause. Losing Weight to Gain Awareness Debi is losing weight to raise money for research and the awareness programs of the IMF.

HELP THE IMF As a non-profit organization, the IMF is completely dependent on the support of our members. Tax-deductible donations in honor of a friend or family member make great gifts and are a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion. You can donate online or by calling the IMF at (800) 452-CURE. And you can order beautiful tribute cards to send out to your friends and family every time you make a donation in their honor to the IMF.We sincerely thank you for your support. Shop for the IMF Shop with the leading merchants on the Internet, receive the same price as anyone else visiting their sites, and support the IMF at the same time! Five Nights In Tahiti! Can't go wrong in a sarong! No matter where you want to go, IMF Travel Advantage has a package for you. Read the latest issue of the IMF Travel Advantage newsletter for this and other fabulous trips. Great prices and you are helping the IMF with every vacation. Caregiver Daily Journal If you know a caregiver, the IMF's own Sylvia Baca has written a journal to help document the daily care they give their loved one. It's $25, with all profits going to support the programs of the IMF.. Sterling Bracelets by Sarah Klein Sarah Klein's father, Benson, was diagnosed with myeloma in 1998, and has been in remission for 8 years. Sarah wants to give back to the IMF in her own creative way and has designed two special bracelets made up of semi-precious healing stones. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these bracelets is being donated to the IMF. Multiple Colors for Multiple Myeloma Keychains and Earrings Bring rainbows of happiness, color and light into your loved ones' lives with an IMF keychain or Swarovski crystal earrings. Arbonne Cosmetics Jo Marie Gray is donating her new-client commissions from the sale of Arbonne Cosmetics to the Chris Hollyer Research Fund at the IMF. IMF Logo Items Let the world know that you support the groundbreaking research and innovative patient support programs of the IMF with a hat or shirt or bracelets! See more exciting ways to help the IMF continue its important work in education, support and research.

ITEMS OF INTEREST Have you downloaded your Myeloma Manager™ Personal Care Assistant™ Another exciting first from the IMF! Free software to help manage and understand your lab results, and more! Have you had a bone marrow transplant, stem cell transplant, or cord blood transplant? Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine are looking for people who: Had a transplant between 9 months and 2 years ago Are living with their disease or free of disease after a successful transplant Are at least 18 years old (and 16 or older at the time of transplant) Speak English Have telephone service If you answered yes to each of these questions, you may be eligible to join a study that will test a program designed to help people experiencing problems and concerns reported by some people who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplant for treatment of cancer and related diseases. To determine whether you are eligible to join the study, you will be asked to complete a 20 minute telephone screening interview that includes questions about your background and your thoughts and feelings about your illness and transplant. If you are found to be eligible and if you decide to join the study, you will complete study procedures from your home, directed by a study staff member. The study includes two telephone interviews, spaced over about 4 months. One will take about 45 minutes and the other will take about 60 minutes. Between the two interviews you will be asked to complete four 30-minute study sessions that involve writing about various topics. You will be compensated for your time and effort. To hear more about this study, contact Christine Rini at (212) 659-5555 or Lisa Wu at (212) 659-5586. You can also email us: christine.rini@mssm.edu or lisa.wu@mssm.edu. This study is being conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and is funded by the American Cancer Society. It has been approved by the Mount Sinai Institutional Review Board (GCO# 06-0391 approved through 9/17/08) Multiple Myeloma: Determining Prognosis and Choosing Therapy Medscape online CME featuring IMF Scientific Advisor Seema Singhal, MD, National Cancer Institute Announces Availability of New Easy to Read Radiation Therapy Educational Resources Written for patients and health care providers, this new radiation therapy series includes: 11 Fact Sheets for  Patients in both English and Spanish Audio CD for  Patients Booklet for Providers Designed in easy-to-read and understand formats, these resources provide straightforward information to help patients understand how radiation therapy works and how to best manage its side effects. The patient-centered publications encourage individuals to fully participate in their care by providing personalized tips and key questions to foster discussion between patients and providers. Help for Underinsured Myeloma Patients Thanks to the advocacy of the IMF, the Chronic Disease Fund has received an infusion of money to help them meet the needs of underinsured patients with multiple myeloma. The fund is designed to help patients with their insurance co-payments and/or their Medicare Part D 'doughnut holes.' Patients must qualify based on financial need. To speak with a representative of the Chronic Disease Fund, please call 877-968-7233, or contact them through their web site at cdfund.org. Mensajero del Mieloma La IMF quiere enviar información sobre el mieloma en español a todos los pacientes, familiares e interesados. Para suscribirse al correo electró nico (enviaremos cuatro ejemplares al año), por favor, env íe su dirección a mensajero@myeloma.org. ¡Gracias! BANK ON A CURE® International Staging System NexProfiler A tool to help understand the current status of the disease and the questions you should be asking. Check out HealthTalk's Multiple Myeloma Education Network and Andrew Schorr's Patient Power.

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Please call the hotline (800) 452-CURE (800-452-2873) or email TheIMF@myeloma.org if you have any questions. Copyright 2008. International Myeloma Foundation. All Rights Reserved.