Multiple Myeloma Handbook

At my local Public Library I came across the following interesting book:

Multiple Myeloma -- The plain English Handbook for Patients and Care Givers, by Robert J. Heller

I found it to be a very interesting read that lives up to its title.

Acid/Akaline Interesting Article

Here's an interesting article on the Acid/Akaline debate, especially the paragraph about too much protein causing the leeching of calcium from your bones.

Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Have you seen advertisements for products such as coral calcium or alkaline water that are supposed to neutralize acid in your bloodstream? Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity. Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition.

You should not believe that it matters whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change the acidity of your stomach for more than a few minutes.

All foods that leave your stomach are acidic. Then they enter your intestines where secretions from your pancreas neutralize the stomach acids. So no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.

Dietary modification cannot change the acidity of any part of your body except your urine. Your bloodstream and organs control acidity in a very narrow range. Anything that changed acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you. Promoters of these products claim that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment and that is true, but neither can any of the other cells in your body.

All chemical reactions in your body are started by chemicals called enzymes. For example, if you convert chemical A to chemical B and release energy, enzymes must start these reactions. All enzymes function in a very narrow range of acidity. (The degree of acidity or alkalinity is expressed as "pH."). If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body.

For example, when you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in your bloodstream very rapidly and your blood turns acidic, and you will become uncomfortable or even pass out. This forces you to start breathing again immediately, and the pH returns to normal. If your kidneys are damaged and cannot regulate the acidity of your bloodstream, chemical reactions stop, poisons accumulate in your bloodstream, and you can die.

Certain foods can leave end-products called ash that can make your urine acid or alkaline, but urine is the only body fluid that can have its acidity changed by food or supplements. ALKALINE-ASH FOODS include fresh fruit and raw vegetables. ACID-ASH FOODS include ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS, whole grains, beans and other seeds. These foods can change the acidity of your urine, but that's irrelevant since your urine is contained in your bladder and does not affect the pH of any other part of your body.

When you take in more protein than your body needs, your body cannot store it, so the excess amino acids are converted to organic acids that would acidify your blood. But your blood never becomes acidic because as soon as the proteins are converted to organic acids, calcium leaves your bones to neutralize the acid and prevent any change in pH. Because of this, many scientists think that taking in too much protein may weaken bones to cause osteoporosis.

Cranberries have been shown to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, but not because of their acidity. They contain chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells.

Taking calcium supplements or drinking alkaline water will not change the pH of your blood. If you hear someone say that your body is too acidic and you should use their product to make it more alkaline, you would be wise not to believe anything else the person tells you.

Dr. Mirkin, who practices medicine in Kensington, Maryland, is board-certified in four specialties: allergy and immunology; sports medicine; pediatrics; and pediatric immunology. He has served as a teaching fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, and Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has written 16 books on sportsmedicine, weight control, and low-fat eating. His Web site offers broadcasts and reports on thousands of topics. He also offers a free weekly e-mail newsletter.

Source: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral2.html

New Antibody drug

Australian medical research company Immune System Therapeutics Ltd (IST) has launched a clinical trial to test its breakthrough treatment for blood cancers.

IST has genetically engineered an antibody drug that binds specifically to a target protein found on the surface of some blood cancer cells. Laboratory studies, using cells taken from patients with multiple myeloma, have shown that the antibody works with the human immune system to induce death of the cancer cells. It is anticipated that the antibody will potentially reduce the number of cancerous cells in multiple myeloma patients and improve patient health and wellbeing.

IST has commenced a Phase 1 trial in patients with multiple myeloma and to date six patients have been treated at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Spencer. Results so far indicate that the antibody has no side effects and final results are expected later this year.

IST's Director of Clinical Development, Dr. Rosanne Dunn, said in order to maintain the recruitment momentum, the Company is seeking to enroll another nine multiple myeloma patients with the kappa form of the disease to be treated over the next few months.

"We are very pleased that the antibody drug is performing as expected with patients suffering no adverse effects. Although this is very rare in cancer treatment it is an indication that the antibody specifically targets cancer cells and not normal cells," she said.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Rosanne Dunn - +61 2 9514 4060
Alan Liddle - +61 2 9514 7437
Immune System Therapeutics
www.ISTL.com.au

Revlimid funding still under review in Canada

Jill Lang Ward considers herself lucky: should she ever need the most effective drug on the market to treat
her cancer, her drug plan will cover most of it.

Health Canada approved Revlimid last fall as a treatment for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma
cells, or blood. However, it is still being reviewed by the Joint Oncology Drug Review, the body responsible
for making funding recommendations to the provinces regarding oncology treatment.

Meanwhile, people are dying, warn advocates for publicly funding Revlimid, which comes in pill form, just
as, for example, chemotherapy is covered.

Lang Ward, 56, knows one man in her support group who is foregoing Revlimid for chemo because it would
cost him $10,000 a month. "It would cause too much of a hardship for the family if he dipped into his savings
to extend his life," says the Sault Ste. Marie woman.

Revlimid has been called a miracle drug, because, unlike chemo, "it not only treats the symptoms, it attacks
the disease."

Lang Ward was diagnosed two years ago, some 10 years after her right knee started bothering her. She
took a couple of spills a year apart "and broke both elbows," she says.

She had a knee replacement in February 2007 and soon began experiencing fatigue so extreme that she
couldn't return to her job at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre. The cancer was at Stage 3 when they did a
bone marrow biopsy in September.

"They said at that point it was very likely I had it for 10 years."

Fortunately, checkups reveal little of the typical lesions and erosion on the bones that are a hallmark of
myeloma. Lang Ward takes care of herself, staying active and taking an aquafit class four times a week.
But she's no Pollyanna about her disease, which affects about 6,000 Canadians and is expected to kill
1,350.

"It's always in the back of your mind."

A retired federal civil servant, she estimates that would cover 80 per cent of the cost of the drug.
But nobody should have to choose between living or breaking the bank in a country where health care is
ostensibly publicly funded, she says.

She has collected approximately 150 signatures and has spoken to Sault MPP David Orazietti, who has
promised to bring the petition to Queen's Park.

"If it comes back, as it most likely will at some point, then I'd be considered for Revlimid. But not everybody
has a drug plan."

Source: Frank Dobrovnik, The Sault Star

21st Century Cancer Access legislation proposed

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute president comments on Senators Kennedy and Hutchison's cancer legislation

Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) introduced the 21st Century Cancer Access to Life-Saving Early detection, Research and Treatment (ALERT) Act, a bill to comprehensively address the challenges our nation faces in battling this disease.

This is the first sweeping cancer legislation introduced since the National Cancer Act in 1971, authored by Kennedy.

Senators Kennedy and Hutchison first proposed the idea for comprehensive cancer legislation last May, when the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing to discuss the need for a renewed focus on the deadly disease.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's president Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, testified at the hearing and offers the following comments on the bill:

"We are extremely grateful for the leadership of Senators Kennedy and Hutchison in bringing this important legislation forward.

"Despite the great progress that has been made against cancer in the past quarter century, the burden of the disease on patients and their families around the world remains unacceptably high.

"This legislation holds significant promise. It stands to improve access to latest advances in cancer care. It places much needed focus on national initiatives in cancer prevention. It outlines a strong set of priorities to improve patient participation in clinical trials. It acknowledges that more people are surviving cancer and addresses the need for greater cancer survivorship care and services. It calls for reducing disparities in cancer mortality. It provides the resources for workforce development to help ensure that we have the highly skilled caregivers needed to expertly and compassionately care for patients.

"It also recognizes that current research has immense potential to lessen that burden for future generations and provides a powerful impetus for continued progress. We will be working closely with Senators Kennedy and Hutchison and their staffs to refine the bill and work for its passage."

Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD
President of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Co-Chair of the Research Working Group for the 21st Century Cancer Act
President of the Association of American Cancer Institutes

Velcade with Salubrinal

Velcade is a drug that was approved as the first line treatment for MM in June 2008, after having been used as a treatment for recurrences since 2003. However, many patients do not respond and among those that do, virtually all eventually experience a recurrence of the MM. Most cancer fatalities are caused by recurrences rather than the initial diagnosis.

The mechanism by which Velcade fights MM cells can also cause a cell to become dormant rather than die. Dr. Julio Aguirre-Ghiso's lab identified a response that protected the multiple myeloma cells from the Velcade and enabled some of them to become dormant. The scientists speculated that these dormant cells were responsible for the later recurrence. They demonstrated that simultaneous treatment with another drug, salubrinal, which has no effect on the survival of MM cells, still dramatically enhanced the impact of the Velcade, raising the proportion of cells killed from 50% to 90%. This is achieved by preventing the MM cells from reversing the signals changed by Velcade. Further, the use of salubrinal after treatment with Velcade eradicated the dormant cells surviving the initial therapy. Salubrinal is notable for its lack of toxicity in preclinical models.

Denis M. Schewe and Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso Inhibition of eIFα Dephosphorylation Maximizes Bortezomib Efficiency and Eliminates Quiescent Multiple Myeloma Cells Surviving Proteasome Inhibitor Therapy Cancer Research, Feb. 2009; 69: 1545-1552.