All posts by David Emerson
Take Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance a step Further
The use of active surveillance increased from 14.5 percent to 42.1 percent of men with low-risk prostate cancer between 2010 and 2015, said the researchers... According to the study linked and excerpted
Continue readingMultiple Myeloma Treatments- Dexamethasone = Cataracts- Surgery, Eye Drops
People with multifocal lenses (after cataract surgery) may have more vision problems such as glare and seeing haloes. I underwent the usual multiple myeloma treatments post a MM diagnosis in 2/94. A constant
Continue readingAutologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) Still MMers WORST CHOICE-
ASCT is aggressive, high-dose chemotherapy akin to using a sledge-hammer when a scalpel is needed. Novel chemotherapy regimens are the scalpel. When I say that an early stem cell transplant (ASCT) is
Continue readingMultiple Myeloma Overall Survival Statistics
Multiple Myeloma Overall 5-Year Survival Statistics are confusing at best. Misleading at worst. I was diagnosed in 1994 and was told I was end-stage in 1997. By 1999, I reached full remission by undergoing
Continue readingMultiple Myeloma Requires “Body-wide Immune Response”
Fighting off cancer (MM) requires the concerted efforts of immune molecules throughout the body, rather than just in the tumor itself… There is a long and growing list of FDA approved chemotherapy
Continue readingMultiple Myeloma and MRI- New Contrast Agent for MRI -Safer?
While the first (contrast agent for MRI) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1988, there are lingering safety concerns about these agents (especially for MM)… Multiple
Continue readingMultiple Myeloma Cure – Pay-for-performance
The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival (multiple myeloma) in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA. Depending on what study
Continue readingSurviving Coronavirus w/ Multiple Myeloma
With COVID-19, people who are older (particularly over 70) and people with underlying health conditions… (think multiple myeloma) and cancer appear to be at higher risk for major complications. Coronavirus
Continue readingRadiation-induced Nerve damage?
“The clinical picture is one of progressive motor and sensory loss in the legs, usually appearing within a year after radiation, but sometimes delayed up to several years..” Plexopathy, Radiculopathy
Continue readingChemobrain Underreported – Stem Cell Transplant
Underreported cases of chemobrain make sense.. Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT) to treat multiple myeloma (MM) means high-dose chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is toxic. The human brain is a sensitive
Continue readingMyeloma – End-stage Running out of Options
“Facing death, I felt the connection between the past and the present more deeply than I ever thought I would.” My multiple myeloma diagnosis didn’t instill wuithin me with any sort of
Continue readingHPV and Skin Cancer Risk
Understanding the Known Risks of Skin Cancer is the First Step to Undergoing Evidence-based, Non-Toxic Therapies to Reduce Those Risks As you can see below, the HPV virus is a risk factor for both melanoma
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