Alan's Multiple Myeloma Journey: Facing a New Diagnosis
Panelists discuss how Alan Plisskin's multiple myeloma diagnosis began with severe back and hip pain, progressed through life-threatening complications, including seizures and vocal cord paralysis, and revealed extensive lytic lesions throughout his body that required immediate intensive treatment.
Alan Plisskin's multiple myeloma diagnosis began with persistent severe back and hip pain that lasted for months without relief from conventional treatments. After his wife insisted that he see his internal medicine physician, Plisskin experienced a seizure and was rushed to MarinHealth Medical Center, where he was intubated and started on Revlimid plus Velcade plus dexamethasone therapy in the intensive care unit. His condition was complicated by extremely high calcium levels due to numerous lytic lesions throughout his body.
The diagnosis process was further complicated by life-threatening complications, including near-death experiences and respiratory failure that required multiple hospitalizations. Plisskin developed frozen vocal cords as a rare adverse effect of Velcade therapy, affecting only one-eighth of 1% of patients taking this medication. This unusual complication required a tracheotomy to maintain his airway, highlighting the unpredictable nature of treatment responses in patients with multiple myeloma.
Plisskin’s initial presentation demonstrates the complexity of multiple myeloma diagnosis and treatment, where patients may face multiple medical emergencies while health care teams work to stabilize their condition. His experience underscores the importance of having strong medical support systems and the need for rapid intervention when symptoms appear. The severity of his initial presentation, including record-high calcium levels at MarinHealth Medical Center, illustrates how advanced multiple myeloma can be at diagnosis and the critical nature of immediate treatment initiation.
Navigating AE Management for Cellular Therapy Across Hematologic Cancers
A panel of clinical pharmacists discussed strategies for mitigating toxicities across different multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and leukemia populations.
Prolaris in Practice: Guiding ADT Benefits, Clinical Application, and Expert Insights From ACRO 2025
April 15th 2025Steven E. Finkelstein, MD, DABR, FACRO discuses how Prolaris distinguishes itself from other genomic biomarker platforms by providing uniquely actionable clinical information that quantifies the absolute benefit of androgen deprivation therapy when added to radiation therapy, offering clinicians a more precise tool for personalizing prostate cancer treatment strategies.
