Daniel Zlatin, Author at Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation of Canada

Reducing treatment toxicity in WM

2021-09-21T11:22:33-04:00

A recent review publication from the experts at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston summarizes the most common adverse effects that occur during treatment. The article was published in the journal, "Expert Opinion on Drug Safety". A summary box in the publication states: There are several effective and safe options for the treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinemia although patients should be closely monitored during therapy for the emergence of treatment-specific side effects. Reduction in the number of rituximab-bendamustine treatment cycles may prevent toxicity without compromising disease outcomes. The frequency of bortezomib dosing and the manner of administration can be altered to decrease [...]

Reducing treatment toxicity in WM2021-09-21T11:22:33-04:00

LLS Studies Covid Vaccination Response in Blood Cancers

2021-09-21T11:22:05-04:00

The US Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) has been running a study specifically focused on US patients with Leukemia or Lymphomas, looking at how well the vaccines in use in the US are at creating antibodies in that population. We've previously reported on their overall summary: "Get Vaccinated, Act Un-vaccinated". (And in particular, see the last part of this summary for some excellent FAQs from vaccinated blood cancer patients.) The LLS has recently posted a video given by Dr. Larry Saltzman, the Executive Research Director of the LLS, providing more details behind their results. There are many statistics of interest [...]

LLS Studies Covid Vaccination Response in Blood Cancers2021-09-21T11:22:05-04:00

CAR T-cell Progress in Canada

2021-09-25T12:04:55-04:00

In the two decades since I was diagnosed with WM, I have seen many changes in the treatment of our disease. Back then, my conventional treatment options were pretty well limited to cyclophosphamide or fludarabine. Rituximab treatment was reserved for those who had relapsed. How the times have changed! And the future holds even more promise with new and upcoming therapies. One of the most exciting developments is CAR T-cell therapy, which is being used, successfully, on WM patients in clinical trials and is considered to be potentially curative. Unfortunately, Canadian lymphoma CAR T-cell trial sites in Ottawa and Vancouver (NCT03765177) [...]

CAR T-cell Progress in Canada2021-09-25T12:04:55-04:00

Dr. Gertz Covers a Wide Range of WM Topics

2021-09-21T11:21:03-04:00

The IWMF brought Support Group Leaders from the US and Canada together to hear Dr. Morie Gertz of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Dr. Gertz’s unique perspective and succinct, perceptive, precise messaging was absolutely priceless. Perhaps most useful to our newer members would be the first 20 minutes, during which he discussed the importance of understanding when to treat WM, and why "watch and wait" was such an important aspect of a treatment plan for WM. This was followed by an engaging Q&A covered everything from understanding COVID antibodies to the importance of consultations at Centers of Excellence to encouraging [...]

Dr. Gertz Covers a Wide Range of WM Topics2021-09-21T11:21:03-04:00

The BC Support Group: Supporting One Another in So Many Ways

2021-08-07T11:30:47-04:00

Our group started over fifty years ago! Well, not really, but... In 1966 I met Betty McPhee in Vancouver. Three years later she was married and living in Philadelphia. I was working on a medical team in West Africa. It was over forty years later when we met by accident over coffee in a church in Toronto, where Betty and her husband now live. But we had no time to visit -- I was flying back to Vancouver later that day. We agreed to connect on Facebook. And that’s where Betty learned later that my husband had been diagnosed with a (non-WM) [...]

The BC Support Group: Supporting One Another in So Many Ways2021-08-07T11:30:47-04:00

How many antibodies does it take to keep a WMer safe from Covid-19?

2021-08-05T18:09:17-04:00

This very frequently asked question was addressed, recently, on the IWMF Connect email list. This particular answer deserves wide coverage, so for those of you who haven't seen it, it is copied here. Unlike well-known and well-researched and stable diseases, such as, say, measles, there just has not been sufficient time to do the research into all of the many factors that go into human immunity to Covid-19. How many antibodies does it take to keep a WMer safe, and is there a test to count them? It's an impossibly hard question to answer: The more virulent a viral variant is, [...]

How many antibodies does it take to keep a WMer safe from Covid-19?2021-08-05T18:09:17-04:00

Betty McPhee: Providing Hope by Telling My Story

2024-01-21T18:48:08-05:00

Betty McPhee (1945-2023) The WMFC is sad to note the passing of Betty McPhee, the vice-Chair of the Board of the WMFC. Betty McPhee has played many roles in making the WMFC what it is today. She has served as a Vice Chair of the Board and as Chair of Membership Services. She not only was co-leader of the Toronto Support Group but had a major role in starting Support Groups across Canada. She was a very welcoming person and always ready to help others navigate their WM journey by providing insightful suggestions. She was an amazing and dedicated individual [...]

Betty McPhee: Providing Hope by Telling My Story2024-01-21T18:48:08-05:00

Webcast: Canadian Clinical Trials and Access, for Lymphoma Patients

2021-07-03T13:25:57-04:00

What would you like to know about participating in a Clinical Trial in Canada? Dr. Neil Berinstein, known to many of our readers, walked through many, many of the questions one might have. Think of it as "Clinical Trials 101". This was presented as a webcast through Lymphoma Canada on June 29, 2021. Dr. Berinstein himself is running a WM-specific clinical trial right now, so this is definitely appropriate to our WM community. For the description of the event from Lymphoma Canada, click here. And to view the webcast, you will have to click here, and supply your name and email [...]

Webcast: Canadian Clinical Trials and Access, for Lymphoma Patients2021-07-03T13:25:57-04:00

WMFC: Launching Canadian WM Blog + Research Month Success

2021-06-26T15:50:42-04:00

June 2021: Introducing the New Canadian WM Blog Join the IWMF Research Month: Wow! The new WMFC Board of Directors Canadian WM Blog The Editorial Group of the WMFC is pleased to present the first in a series of Blog posts on topics of interest to Canadian WM patients. Whether it is new treatment options, status of drug approvals, clinical trial results or how your research money is being spent, we will do the research and provide to you a clear and concise report on the topic. We start the series with a focus on an important Clinical Trial in [...]

WMFC: Launching Canadian WM Blog + Research Month Success2021-06-26T15:50:42-04:00

National Zoom: The Management of WM in Canada

2021-06-16T17:11:04-04:00

We were privileged to have Dr. Christine Chen, from Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, give us an overview of how WM is managed in Canada. She covered both BR (the standard of care pretty much across Canada), and discussed how newer treatments are being picked up. And there was time for a question-and-answer session, as well. You will need a passcode to view the recording: 5Rm64fh* -- if you are copy-and-pasting it, make sure you pick up the asterisk (*) at the end, as it is part of the passcode. And make sure you do not inadvertently pick up a [...]

National Zoom: The Management of WM in Canada2021-06-16T17:11:04-04:00

DRZ

About Daniel Zlatin