For the thousands of patients living all over the world who do not live near a myeloma center of excellence, who's insurance will not approve a center of excellence, or who cannot obtain or afford a second opinion. What do you do? How can you improve your life expectancy prognosis and survival rate. First , find a hematologist oncologist., and second tell him or her to just ask, " What would Mayo do?" Without the assistance of your own multiple myeloma expert, the next best thing would be to follow the cook book set up by some of the best myeloma specialists in the world. This cook book happens to be the mSmart Program published as a consensus view by the multiple myeloma experts from all three of the Mayo Clinics in the United States. Doctors like Dr. Rajkumar, Dr. Kumar, Dr. Chanan-Khan, Dr. Lacy, Dr. Fonseca and many more had a hand in putting this document together. It is designed to help patients to understand what care should be given to the myeoma patient and to provide doctors with a plan that will provide excellent care for their myeloma patients. Care that usually only a multiple myeloma expert can provide. Mayo is the only organization that I know of that has put together their standard of care into an understandable form, hoping to provide the doctor who does not have sufficient multiple myeloma experience with the tools to provide a level of care that will provide an above average life expectancy and survival rate. If a patient reads this information, they will have a better understanding of what to expect and what questions to ask their doctor.
I make this statement, because Mayo has some of the best 3 and 4 year survival rates in the world, has an excellent reputation, is a myeloma center of excellence, and has the MAYO MYSTIQUE. I have previously written this about the Mayo survival results.
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN - The Mayo Clinic Medical Edge Video from July 11, 2011 states that their 3 year survival has improved from 29% to close to 90%. When compared to the SEER rate of 55.6% you are at least 3* times more likely to survive under their treatment than at the average SEER facility. A recent analysis of 290 patients using LD or TD induction and delayed or early stem cell transplant reported equal 4 year survival of 82%* vs the SEER 4 year rate of 50%. Link: http://getmadcat.com/video/47064/ An outline of their risk adapted treatment program called mSmart can be found at the attached link: http://msmart.org/newly%20diagnosed%20myeloma.pdf
So what is this mSmart program. Two great links that will explain Mayo's multiple myeloma treatment philosophy are at:
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(13)00077-3/fulltext
http://www.msmart.org/msmart_mar09_002.htm
In a summary, for the newly diagnosed patient, they break the disease into three different disease classifications, High risk, intermediate risk, and low risk, and then provide treatment plans for each risk classification. They also break the treatments into transplant eligible and ineligible patients. This usually is age and health related (comorbidities).
Without question this is an option for those who can not be treated at or get a second opinion from centers like IMBCR, Medical College of Wisconsin, UAMS, Mayo, MD Anderson, Dana Farber, Moffitt, or many other great myeloma centers of excellence. It would be an excellent tool for those patients who do not have access to these centers of excellence, but still want treatment that will provide an above average life expectancy and survival rate. And for the hematologic oncologist that does not have much experience with this very rare disease and is mSmart enough to ask the question "What would Mayo do?"
Best Regards and may God Bless your Myeloma journey/ [email protected]
For more information on myeloma survival and treatment go to www.myelomasurvival.com.
I make this statement, because Mayo has some of the best 3 and 4 year survival rates in the world, has an excellent reputation, is a myeloma center of excellence, and has the MAYO MYSTIQUE. I have previously written this about the Mayo survival results.
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN - The Mayo Clinic Medical Edge Video from July 11, 2011 states that their 3 year survival has improved from 29% to close to 90%. When compared to the SEER rate of 55.6% you are at least 3* times more likely to survive under their treatment than at the average SEER facility. A recent analysis of 290 patients using LD or TD induction and delayed or early stem cell transplant reported equal 4 year survival of 82%* vs the SEER 4 year rate of 50%. Link: http://getmadcat.com/video/47064/ An outline of their risk adapted treatment program called mSmart can be found at the attached link: http://msmart.org/newly%20diagnosed%20myeloma.pdf
So what is this mSmart program. Two great links that will explain Mayo's multiple myeloma treatment philosophy are at:
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(13)00077-3/fulltext
http://www.msmart.org/msmart_mar09_002.htm
In a summary, for the newly diagnosed patient, they break the disease into three different disease classifications, High risk, intermediate risk, and low risk, and then provide treatment plans for each risk classification. They also break the treatments into transplant eligible and ineligible patients. This usually is age and health related (comorbidities).
Without question this is an option for those who can not be treated at or get a second opinion from centers like IMBCR, Medical College of Wisconsin, UAMS, Mayo, MD Anderson, Dana Farber, Moffitt, or many other great myeloma centers of excellence. It would be an excellent tool for those patients who do not have access to these centers of excellence, but still want treatment that will provide an above average life expectancy and survival rate. And for the hematologic oncologist that does not have much experience with this very rare disease and is mSmart enough to ask the question "What would Mayo do?"
Best Regards and may God Bless your Myeloma journey/ [email protected]
For more information on myeloma survival and treatment go to www.myelomasurvival.com.
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