News

Dr. Gertz: The Mayo Clinic Approach to Treatment

2023-01-02T20:23:09-05:00

We often hear from the Bing Center for Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).  Now let's hear from the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Morie Gertz has published "WM: 2023 Update on Diagnosis, Risk Stratification, and Management", available here.  It provides an extensive overview of the literature covering : how WM is diagnosed the risk stratification for the disease the various treatment options (regimens) for WM No new research results are presented; the article is a summary of existing knowledge, and thus can be useful to those looking to refresh their knowledge about the various treatment options. Most useful to the [...]

Dr. Gertz: The Mayo Clinic Approach to Treatment2023-01-02T20:23:09-05:00

2022 American Society of Hematology Conference: WM Presentations

2022-12-16T11:16:56-05:00

Every year, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference is an opportunity for the latest hematology research from around the world to be presented. Although conference presentations do not go through peer review (unlike journal articles), they do provide an opportunity to see what is coming down the research pipeline. You can access 68 (!!) items that mention the word "macroglobulinemia" here.  Of course, you may not want to look at all of them.  So here are a very few, that we think may be of interest. First of all, we would be remiss if we did not point out the [...]

2022 American Society of Hematology Conference: WM Presentations2022-12-16T11:16:56-05:00

Your donations at work: A Breakthrough In Research

2022-12-01T18:17:52-05:00

Breakthrough research by Dr. Zachary Hunter of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, funded by donations to the IWMF and the WMFC A much more detailed and nuanced understanding of the biology of Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia has emerged from research funded by WMFC donors. The study by Dr. Zachary Hunter of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston is a very sophisticated search for new research directions -- “Multiomic Analysis of DNA, RNA and Epigenomic Networks in WM”. To conduct a multiomic analysis Dr. Hunter’s research group combined a very broad range of data from various sources; clinical data, mutation studies, [...]

Your donations at work: A Breakthrough In Research2022-12-01T18:17:52-05:00

CORD Survey: The Impact of a Rare Disease + Feedback on a Canadian Strategy

2022-11-16T10:00:07-05:00

Do you have a rare disease?  Are you a caregiver for a person with a rare disease? If you're reading this on the WMFC website, then the odds are that you answered "yes" to one of those questions! And so CORD, the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders, needs your input on: The impact of your rare disease on you and your family, and Your perspectives on how Canadian health systems can improve access to rare disease medicines. They are running a survey for both patients and caregivers to gather your feedback. The second part of the survey, on policies around rare [...]

CORD Survey: The Impact of a Rare Disease + Feedback on a Canadian Strategy2022-11-16T10:00:07-05:00

Dr. MacDonald: From the origins of WM to treatments beyond BTKi

2022-11-03T15:40:07-04:00

Dr. David MacDonald of The Ottawa Hospital provided us with an extremely informative presentation at our National Zoom meeting on Oct. 26, 2022.  One of the best presentations, done in layman's terms, covering a set of topics: How does WM originate in the body, and how does it relate to other lymphomas How have drugs been approved for WM in Canada How is WM treated in Canada ... including brief updates on clinical trials that Dr. MacDonald is involved in (and which we have covered in blog posts in the past): BRAWM nemtabrutinib Highly recommended viewing for anyone wanting a refresher [...]

Dr. MacDonald: From the origins of WM to treatments beyond BTKi2022-11-03T15:40:07-04:00

Journal article: A Canadian Perspective on the Treatment of WM

2022-10-08T17:31:16-04:00

This journal article by a handful of researchers from across Canada, including our frequent contributor Dr. Christine Chen, provides an overview of treatment options for WM, and their usage in current (2022) Canadian WM treatment.  No new research results are presented; the article is a summary of existing knowledge, and thus can be useful to those looking to refresh their knowledge about the various treatment options. Most useful to the lay reader is the treatment flowchart in section 4.1. Download of the .pdf of the article is available at https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/29/10/560 (look for the button "Download PDF")

Journal article: A Canadian Perspective on the Treatment of WM2022-10-08T17:31:16-04:00

WMFC and LLSC Announce a WM-focussed Operating Grant

2022-09-13T16:55:57-04:00

The WMFC, in partnership with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC), is pleased to announce the availability of an Operating Grant for research into WM. An Operating Grant is a two-year grant designed to provide funding to research that may ultimately lead to a significant change in the understanding, diagnosis, or treatment of blood cancer -- in our case, specifically for WM. All the details are available at the LLSC website on Operating Grants, but the highlights of such an award are as follows: Available to researchers at Canadian institutions Funding is for up to $100,000 per year [...]

WMFC and LLSC Announce a WM-focussed Operating Grant2022-09-13T16:55:57-04:00

WM and DVT — One Member’s Cautionary Story

2022-08-20T20:51:43-04:00

Ed. note: Many of us need to go the Emergency department from time to time, for things not related to WM.  During the discussion of our symptoms with the triage nurse, there is the inevitable request along the lines of, "Tell me about your medical history".  Of course, we obediently mention that we have "Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia".  They express puzzlement.  We spell it for them; they type it into our medical record.  Possibly correctly.  We explain that it is an indolent form of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.  That they understand.  But not all non-Hodgkin Lymphomas have the same implications, when it comes to diagnostic [...]

WM and DVT — One Member’s Cautionary Story2022-08-20T20:51:43-04:00

“Grand Rounds” with Dr. Steven Treon

2022-06-16T11:27:42-04:00

A project that has been a long time in the making came to fruition earlier this year.  The goal of the WMFC was to have a series of video conferences led by key WM researchers, and to specifically invite Canadian Medical Professionals to learn more about our disease from those who know it best. This required a lot of things to come together: Availability of at least one key speaker.  With the assistance of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and in particular Christopher Patterson (the Administrative Director of the Bing Center for WM), we were able to get our program onto the [...]

“Grand Rounds” with Dr. Steven Treon2022-06-16T11:27:42-04:00

Abstracts from ASCO

2022-06-10T12:31:11-04:00

For those interested in keeping up with the latest research, abstracts from the most recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting have been published.  Here's a link to a search of the abstracts that mention WM.  There are eight of them.  (One of them is a video of Jorge Castillo, which, it appears, we cannot view without membership or registration fee to the ASCO meeting.) One abstract may be of particular interest, as it is a retrospective (after-the-fact) study comparing Bendamustine+Rituximab against Ibrutinib as first treatments for WM.  Conclusion?  "Both BR [Bendamustine+Rituximab] and Ibr [Ibrutinib] lead to comparable outcomes [...]

Abstracts from ASCO2022-06-10T12:31:11-04:00
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