On Feb. 9th 2022, Dr. Neil Berinstein of the Sunnybrook Cancer Research Institute provided us with an update on the BRAWM trial. That trial combines the standard-of-care Bendamustine + Rituximab, but adds in a BTK inhibitor, Acalabrutinib. He also gave us an view of how Covid impacts WM patients. And there was time for Q&A on both topics. View the video here, on the WMFC YouTube channel.
Megan Morrison, Registered Dietitian at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Malignant Hematology Program in Toronto spent time with us to talk about the role of nutrition and hydration during our journey with WM. Not everyone was able to attend the presentation live, so we recorded it. You can view the recording here: https://iwmf-wm.zoom.us/rec/share/YSZrtFh49bhnaGCOTpp58MXO19X-dHwbcjoVVpFe8D8w_krB1GClvS0uUXzt0ku2.0M9sTAXUPNvVsyos. You'll need a password to view the video. It is "L$?i+WY7" -- just the characters inside the double quotes. If you are copying and pasting this string, make sure you do not include the double quotes.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
At our National Zoom meeting on February 3, 2021, our guest was Dr. Neil Berinstein of the Toronto Sunnybrook Hospital and Odette Cancer Research Program. For the first time in several years, we were able to hear about a clinical trial being started in Canada. Dr. Berinstein, the principal investigator, explained the rationale for the choice of treatments being combined in this trial. The trial involves the Canadian "standard of care" treatment (Bendamustine plus Rituximab), combined with a one-year, time-limited use of Acalabrutinib. The trial is described more formally at this Clinical Trials.gov site. To see the video of our [...]
The IWMF held a North America Support Group Leaders meeting on January 15, 2021 with Dr. Ansell of the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) as the guest speaker. We’ve posted here a few approximate timestamps for topics in the video, in case you are only interested in a particular item. But they are all worthwhile – he is an excellent speaker and explainer! The topics covered included: (From 4:40 to 24:30) As chair of the IWMF Scientific Advisory Committee he discusses how the committee operates. But this is not just a dry talk about committee structures – he spends the majority [...]
The organization CancerCare put together a workshop entitled “For Caregivers: Coping with a Loved One's Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia”. It brought together: Carolyn Messner (director of Education and Training at CancerCare), Carl Harrington (chairman of the IWMF), Dr. Jeffrey V. Matous (from the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute), and Georgie Cusack (Director of Education and Patient Safety, National Institutes of Health). You can listen to the workshop at the following link. For Caregivers: Coping with a Loved One's WM
The organization CancerCare put together a workshop entitled "The Latest News in the Treatment of Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia". It brought together: Carolyn Messner (director of Education and Training at CancerCare), Carl Harrington (chairman of the IWMF), Dr. Christian Buske (a noted WM researcher from Germany), and Dr. Steven Treon (from the Bing Center for WM at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute). You can listen to the workshop at the following link. Dr. Treon and Dr. Buske, "The Latest News in WM"
The Toronto support group invited Dr. Treon to join them. He led them through a discussion of how the research on BTK inhibitors is progressing towards new drug offerings. View the recorded Zoom session at the link below. Dr. Treon presents Next Gen BTK Inhibitors
