Hi everyone! One of my blog readers sent me the link to a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) press release: http://tinyurl.com/38z9uy These Arkansas researchers “have for the first time transferred an immune response in a healthy individual to a patient with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, showing promise for cancer vaccination.†Cancer vaccination? Well, well! You can read the study abstract here: http://tinyurl.com/33dn5m This may provide “a new therapeutic option for high-risk MM.†However, since I don’t have an identical twin sister, I admit that I am more interested in the outcome of studies targeting the ROOT of our problem (stem cells, I mean): the GRN163L study mentioned by an MMA list member (the study begins today, apparently), and the upcoming DMAPT (a parthenolide analogue) human clinical trial in the UK.Still, this is all very interesting and, let’s hope, promising for the future! Take care, Margaret, Florence, Italy, blog URL: http://margaret.healthblogs.org/
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More precise info on the GRN163L trial: http://www.medadnews.com/News/Index.cfm?articleid=495748Â Key sentence: "GRN163L has been demonstrated to have anti-tumor effects in a wide range of hematological and solid tumor models and appears to be unique in its observed effects on cancer stem cells: the rare, chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells that cause cancer recurrence."
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
Margaret,
John Hopkinson enrolled there first MM patient in the GRN163L study this past Wednesday!
Margaret, David, or others, does anyone have any personal experience where you had a decrease in percent plasma cells in your bone marrow biopsy after taking curcumin or quercetin? I currently have a situation where my M-spike is stable, not changing but my percent plasma cells in my bone marrow biopsy went from 3% to 25%.
Terry
Hi Terry, yes, I have. My first ever BMB had 5-8% malignancy back in 2003. That number increased to 50% in November 2005 (I found out at the end of December...!). In January 2007, after about a year on curcumin, that number had gone down to 40%. BUT it's also true that mm cells tend to clump together, so who knows if it was the curcumin or just a smaller clump in a different spot, compared to 2005...? I find BMBs to be so bloody unreliable (besides hurting like...!).
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
Terry-
"Margaret, David, or others, does anyone have any personal experience where you had a decrease in percent plasma cells in your bone marrow biopsy after taking curcumin or quercetin? I currently have a situation where my M-spike is stable, not changing but my percent plasma cells in my bone marrow biopsy went from 3% to 25%."
My understanding of bmb's (mid 90's) has always been that they are unreliable as they measure mm in just one area of the body. Â
I have never heard of a stable m-spike with an increase in bmb. DavidÂ
Margaret-
Thanks much for this info- the study has me thinking of a couple of things-
1-there are two different therapies going on here- transfering stem cells from one healthy, identical twin sister to her mm survivor sister- the mm sister, using the donated stem cells has hopefully fought off a recurrence of her mm. Am I reading it right?
Does this mean that immune systems can recognize and fight mm cells?
2- the second thing going on in the study is that post sct, the mm survivor sister was then given a vaccine, MAGE-3, also to fight the mm cells?
Also "Vaccination therapies have not yet been proven clinically effective for myeloma, possibly due to disruptions in the patient’s immune system caused by chemotherapy or the disease itself,†said Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., leader of the research team and director of clinical research in the Myeloma Institute. “The ability to define and transfer an immune reaction from a healthy donor to a patient with multiple myeloma may give us another tool with long-lasting protection against disease recurrence.â€"
Whether it's a mouse's cancer-resistant immune system, a twin's cancer-resistant immune system or a survivor's built-up immune system, can we say that immune systems can fight off myeloma cells?
I know I may be stretching it here some but I'm just trying to draw conclusions from studies out there. David
David, what you write opens up a big bag of unknowns. Many doctors and knowledgeable MGUS and MM patients say that we shouldn't try to overstimulate our immune systems, which are overstimulated by the cancer...but then you read things like this, and it makes you wonder. My feeling is that we should try to be as strong as possible and make our immune systems as healthy as we can.
I may be wrong, but that is what my gut tells me. I think your gut is telling you the same thing. I would love to read other opinions...
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
I view it as one of my jobs to raise bags of unknowns. The idea that studies are pointing to mm immunity based on immune system resistance is an important finding as the very idea runs counter to previous conventional mm wisdom.
"Many doctors and knowledgeable MGUS and MM patients say that we shouldn't try to overstimulate our immune systems, which are overstimulated by the cancer...but then you read things like this, and it makes you wonder..."
And, yes, my own experience is that I continually work to build my immune system.Â
DavidÂ
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