Cancercare Launches New Program to Help Multiple Myeloma Patients Cover Transportation Costs

Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 August 2009 03:27 Written by Administrator Tuesday, 25 August 2009 03:20

"Door to Door" initiative offers individual grants to patients to help defray transportation costs to and from medical care.

New York, NY, July 20, 2009— CancerCare announced today the launch of the "Door to Door" program for patients with multiple myeloma. CancerCare's program will provide individual grants of up to $600 annually to multiple myeloma patients for covering transportation costs such as gasoline, parking and tolls, and taxi, bus or train fare to and from their medical care.

The program is funded in part by a generous grant from Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. CancerCare is a national non-profit organization based in New York City that provides free support services to people affected by cancer.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow that is diagnosed in approximately 20,000 people annually in the U.S. Advances in the treatment of this cancer have dramatically increased patients' life expectancy (an estimated 60,000 people in the U.S. are now living with multiple myeloma) and consequently lengthened the duration of treatment.

"Because of the nature of their therapies and the disease itself, many multiple myeloma patients may be required to visit their doctors several times a week over many months. Particularly for patients on a fixed income, these travel expenses add up and create a financial burden that may prevent them from keeping up with their health care," noted Diane Blum, executive director of CancerCare. "The Door to Door program will provide much-needed relief to this patient population, and we are grateful for Millennium's support."

Founded in 1944, CancerCare has a long track record of providing financial assistance to people facing cancer; it is a cornerstone of its direct support services to help people cope with the emotional and practical issues of a cancer diagnosis. During fiscal year 2009, CancerCare provided over $4.2 million in grants to more than 24,000 people with cancer to cover treatment-related costs like transportation, child care and medications for side effects.

Last year CancerCare launched a separate foundation to help cancer patients cover the cost of their health insurance co-payments for certain types of treatments. To date, the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation has assisted thousands of people undergoing cancer treatments with grants of up to $10,000.

To receive a Door to Door transportation grant, patients must meet certain eligibility criteria and complete an application form. A sample patient application form along with a physician verification form may be viewed online. To apply, call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673).

For more information about multiple myeloma, read CancerCare's free Connect booklet, Advances in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma Chromsome Help

Last Updated on Monday, 17 August 2009 01:52 Written by Administrator Monday, 17 August 2009 01:30

A CALL FOR YOUR HELP! 

All,

My name is Andy Smith and I am writing this email on behalf of my uncle. My uncle was diagnosed with Stage III Multiple Myeloma back in March and he has not only a deletion of Chromosome 13 but also the trans-location of Chromosomes 4/14. My uncle is in his 50's and is getting ready for his 5th cycle Revlamid,Velcade, Dexamethasone, and Doxil. His main Oncologist is Doctor Andrzej Jozef Jakubowiak from the University of Michigan Medical Center. My uncles doctor wants to have him do a Stem Cell Transplant using his own Stem Cells. My uncle was going to get his SCT done at the University of Michigan Medical Center but they would not accept his insurance for that treatment there.

My uncle was refered to another doctor named Voravit Ratanatharathorn from the Karmanos Cancer Institute. My uncle is confused because this new doctor wants to use the bone marrow from my uncles siblings vs. his own which has a longer recovery rate and may be more risky from what I understand.

Why would a doctor choose to use a siblings bone marrow vs. his own?

The next issue at hand is the Chromosome 4/14 Trans-Location. I understand that the treatment may be less effective because of the Chromosome issues, but why is it that some doctors don't recommend the SCT when 4/14 is presnet when some do? Is this purly based on age and how far along the patient is or is there something else weighing in on the matter?

Anyone think its better for my uncle do do maint Chemo vs. a Stem Cell Transplant?

Has anyone ever been to Karmanos Cancer Institute or had Voravit Ratanatharathorn as a doctor and how was the experience?

With this information answered my uncle would feel more comfortable making his decisions.

Thanks,

Andy

If you can answer any of my questions please do so here!

9/11 Responders May Be At Raised Myeloma Risk

Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 August 2009 11:17 Written by Administrator Tuesday, 11 August 2009 11:02

Preliminary findings suggest that responders to the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11 may be at higher risk for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood.

Notably, half of the cases identified among law enforcement officers were under the age of 45. Multiple myeloma is usually a disease of the elderly.

"This is very preliminary," cautioned Dr. Mitchell Smith, director of the Lymphoma Service at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "It could turn out to be a statistical fluke and means nothing or it could be the tip of the iceberg and we'll see an increase in the next 10 years," he said.

"The concerning thing," he added, "is it makes biological sense. There is certain data that multiple myeloma is associated with an increased exposure to certain chemicals. It has never been shown with inhaled chemicals but this amount of exposure probably did get into the blood." Smith was not involved in the study.

"Practitioners should be on the lookout for unusual disease patterns," added Dr. Jacqueline Moline, lead author of the report, which appears in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. "Multiple myeloma is usually a disease that occurs in the seventh or eighth decade of life. A person is 10 times more likely to get myeloma when they're 70 than when they're 45 or 48. Clinicians should be sensitized to patients coming in with unusual symptoms. They should think broadly."

And that includes being on the alert for other types of cancers as well, added Moline, who is director of the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "Time is really going to give us the answer in terms of other exposures," she said.

Rescue workers were heavily exposed to a toxic chemical soup released from the fires that raged at the World Trade Center site for three months after 9/11. The chemicals included several known carcinogens, some of which have been linked to a heightened risk of multiple myeloma.

Read full article at publishers website

Multiple Myeloma Patients Wanted for LLS Sponsored Study

Last Updated on Friday, 31 July 2009 19:20 Written by Administrator Friday, 31 July 2009 19:12

Multiple Myeloma Patients Wanted for LLS Sponsored Study

Avalere Health with support from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is conducting a study of the barriers multiple myeloma patients face when trying to access the healthcare system. Potential barriers could include: issues related to treatment costs and insurance coverage, transportation concerns, and shortage of doctors in the area. 

We are conducting interviews and surveying multiple myeloma patients about their healthcare experiences and would like to reach out to as many patients as possible.  This survey will be the first time healthcare access barriers for multiple myeloma patients will be quantified. The research will be instrumental in changing the way multiple myeloma patients receive care. 

If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact David Curameng at 202.459.6318 or at
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New Multiple Myeloma Blog

Last Updated on Sunday, 12 July 2009 20:40 Written by Pat Killingsworth Thursday, 02 July 2009 20:53

Hello!  My name is Pat Killingsworth and my wife and I are both cancer survivors.  Pattie has outlasted cervical, uterine and ovarian cancer.  I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April of 2007.  We have written daily on our www.HelpWithCancer.Org blog about topics that are of interest to most anyone with cancer.  Treatments, breakthroughs, nutrition, even politics and health care.  But recently we found the majority of our readers had multiple myeloma, or were friends or family of someone with myeloma.  So last week I started a new blog, dedicated to myeloma related news:  www.multiplemyelomablog.com. 

We believe there can't be too many places for the myeloma community to share and learn!  This Multiple Myeloma Forums site is great!  So are a number of other independent sites.  With new chemotherapy drugs and combination therapy approaches racing ahead of test results, it is difficult to stay up to date.  I have always felt you learn more from patients (and nurses!) than the oncology docs.  So ask questions.  Join one or more support groups.  Get second opinions.  And blog, baby, blog!  Just don't forget to question and varify the information you find online.  Hope you will visit one or both of our sites! 

Glad to help,

Pat