Latest / Cyrus Webb's tracks / Dr. Joseph Mikhael and Tara discuss multiple myeloma and treatment options on Conversations LIVE

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Dr. Joseph Mikhael and Tara discuss multiple myeloma and treatment options on Conversations LIVE · Cyrus Webb's tracks

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Conversations Live. I'm your host,
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Cyrus Webb. Glad you all could join us once again.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: For our radio audience tuning in at WYED 94.1 FM
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  Speaker 1: and WYEDonline.com, we're glad that you all can be with us. Also,
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  Speaker 1: join us online worldwide via our podcast at iHeartRadio and
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Amazon Music. We're glad you all could be with us
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: as well. This is part of a news and news
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  Speaker 1: segment here at WYED, and today we're talking about relapsed
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  Speaker 1: multiple myeloma. It is the second most common blood cancer disease.
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  Speaker 1: in the U.S. and as we've talked about all this month,
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  Speaker 1: September is recognized as Blood Cancer Awareness Month. So we're
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  Speaker 1: excited about this next segment to welcome two guests with us.
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  Speaker 2: We have Dr.
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  Speaker 1: Joseph McHale joining us. He's the Director of Myeloma Research
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  Speaker 1: at the Honor Health Research Institute. We also have Tara
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  Speaker 1: joining us today. She's a nurse practitioner as well as
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  Speaker 1: a patient. We're going to talk to them not only
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  Speaker 1: about what you need to know about multiple myeloma, but
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  Speaker 1: also about treatment options and also how something called Blend
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  Speaker 1: Rep can be able to help as well. Thanks to
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  Speaker 1: the two of you for stopping by. I really appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I'm so happy to be with you. Thank you
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  Speaker 2: so much for having us here today. What a great
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  Speaker 2: introduction to our discussion today, and I'm particularly grateful to
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  Speaker 2: be here on the behalf of GSK.
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  Speaker 1: Look, the pleasure is definitely all mine. As I mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: we've been talking about blood cancer awareness all this month.
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  Speaker 2: Dr.
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  Speaker 1: McHale, I'll begin with you. I mentioned people may be
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  Speaker 1: familiar with multiple myeloma, but what is relapsed multiple myeloma?
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  Speaker 2: So I'll just take a quick moment to explain what
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  Speaker 2: myeloma is and how we approach the treatment. Sure. As
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  Speaker 2: you noted, this is a blood cancer, which means it
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  Speaker 2: originates in the factory of our blood we call the
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  Speaker 2: bone marrow. And we make great progress in myeloma, but unfortunately,
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  Speaker 2: most patients, after initial treatment, the disease will come back.
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  Speaker 2: That's why we call it relapse and refractory multiple myeloma,
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  Speaker 2: where it's going to require multiple lines of treatment over time.
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  Speaker 2: And one of those treatments that we want to discuss
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  Speaker 2: with you today is that treatment called Blenrep that you noted.
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  Speaker 2: So Blenrep, in combination with other medicines, is a treatment
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  Speaker 2: for multiple myeloma that has returned when patients have had
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  Speaker 2: at least two prior treatments. Now, of course, every treatment
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  Speaker 2: comes with a potential side effect. And when it comes
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  Speaker 2: to Blenrep, eye problems, including changes in vision, are common
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  Speaker 2: and can be severe. Patients actually are also followed by
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  Speaker 2: an eye doctor and being monitored by an eye doctor
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  Speaker 2: while they're being treated with Blenrep. As with all medications,
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  Speaker 2: we want patients to be able to talk to their
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  Speaker 2: doctor about their medical conditions and any changes in the
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  Speaker 2: symptoms that they may have. But I'm just delighted to
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  Speaker 2: hear that you are raising awareness and have been through
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  Speaker 2: Blood Cancer Awareness Month, raising awareness of the importance of
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  Speaker 2: understanding myeloma and really of delivering our therapies in a
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  Speaker 2: timely manner today.
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  Speaker 3: To patients.
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  Speaker 2: One of the things that has recently happened was that
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  Speaker 2: with BlendRep, we've had an administrative update that makes it
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  Speaker 2: easier to deliver this directly into the community. This drug
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  Speaker 2: was designed to be able to be delivered across multiple
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  Speaker 2: healthcare settings where it doesn't require hospitalization. It doesn't require
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  Speaker 2: a large academic center. And so any barrier we can
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  Speaker 2: take away to deliver therapies to patients where they are
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  Speaker 2: is particularly important.
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  Speaker 1: It's such an important part. And that's why we're so excited, Tara,
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  Speaker 1: that you can join us as well. As I mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: you're a nurse practitioner, but also someone who has had
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  Speaker 1: their own experience with multiple myeloma. Talk to us about
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  Speaker 1: your diagnosis and how you learned about it. Sure.
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  Speaker 3: I would say, you know, in the beginning, right before
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  Speaker 3: I was diagnosed, I knew that I wasn't really feeling
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  Speaker 3: my best. I just didn't know what was wrong. I
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  Speaker 3: just knew something was wrong. I was just having a
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  Speaker 3: lot of fatigue and a lot of low back pain.
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  Speaker 4: The back pain got so.
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  Speaker 3: Severe that ultimately I ended up having to go to
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  Speaker 3: the hospital and that's what led to my diagnosis. So
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  Speaker 3: I'm super thankful every day for that pain because that's really.
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  Speaker 4: What put my diagnosis on the radar.
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  Speaker 3: But I would say, you know, as with any patient
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  Speaker 3: that gets a cancer diagnosis or any kind of a
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  Speaker 3: really severe chronic health issue, you know, it's a gut punch.
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  Speaker 4: It comes out of left field. None of us actually ever.
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  Speaker 3: Think we're going to be diagnosed with cancer or have
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  Speaker 3: something that bad happen to us. So, you know, I
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  Speaker 3: think being a nurse practitioner was great in the sense
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  Speaker 3: that I understood talking about treatment and I understood the terms.
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  Speaker 3: I understood the disease process. But on the human side
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  Speaker 3: of things, I was in a really vulnerable position and
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  Speaker 3: a different position than I was ever used to being in.
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  Speaker 4: And so I think it's hard because when you get
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  Speaker 4: that diagnosis, the fear and uncertainty.
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  Speaker 3: You don't know how it's going to affect your life
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  Speaker 3: and how things are going to turn out. And it's
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  Speaker 3: difficult to live in that gray area.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, such a good point. I want to ask you
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  Speaker 1: about communication advocacy, because one of the things my brother
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  Speaker 1: was diagnosed this year with Hodgkin's lymphoma. And one of
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  Speaker 1: the things that we have talked about, because I've had
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  Speaker 1: segments like this on our radio program, is the importance
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  Speaker 1: of advocating for himself when it comes to treatment options,
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  Speaker 1: but also that communication skills. with the doctor. How important, Tara,
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  Speaker 1: was that for you in having that communication and seeing
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  Speaker 1: what was the best for you when it came to treatment?
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  Speaker 3: I would say that's probably one of the, short of
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  Speaker 3: your family support and being surrounded by loved ones, I
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  Speaker 3: would say that's, you know, maybe one A and that's
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  Speaker 3: one B. So having a healthcare team that you trust,
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  Speaker 3: that you know that they have your back, that they're
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  Speaker 3: going to get the best, most individualized plan for your
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  Speaker 3: particular case. Having folks in your corner that you can
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  Speaker 3: have an honest dialogue with.
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  Speaker 4: In the medical profession is huge.
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  Speaker 3: And so I was lucky enough that my healthcare professional
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  Speaker 3: team was great.
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  Speaker 4: They continue to be great. They were great. They were
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  Speaker 4: there for me in my time of need.
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  Speaker 3: But that's the most important thing.
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  Speaker 2: And Dr.
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  Speaker 1: McHale, to you, for our audience out there that may
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  Speaker 1: have a family member that may have been diagnosed with
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  Speaker 1: multiple myeloma or, again, of course, they just are looking
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  Speaker 1: for information for themselves and that they can share with others,
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  Speaker 1: How important is it for them to be able to
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  Speaker 1: know about things like BlendRep and about treatment options that
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  Speaker 1: will make access to treatment easier for them?
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  Speaker 2: No, I appreciate you saying that. It really is so important.
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  Speaker 2: Tara explained in her personal experience, but we know... actually
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  Speaker 2: in oncology, when people have a strong relationship with their
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  Speaker 2: healthcare team, they're going to do better. They're going to
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  Speaker 2: be able to have that shared decision-making process of discussing
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  Speaker 2: the options, knowing what's going to be best for them.
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  Speaker 2: So we strongly endorse people developing that relationship with their
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  Speaker 2: healthcare team, having that conversation, and as you said, advocating
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  Speaker 2: for themselves so that they can learn what options are
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  Speaker 2: available to them, what's going to be available to them
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  Speaker 2: close by so that they can get the best therapy possible.
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  Speaker 2: And before we close, let me just also add that
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  Speaker 2: I really hope your brother does well with his diagnosis.
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  Speaker 2: I'm thankful that he has a supportive family, if it
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  Speaker 2: sounds like he does, and I trust he's going to
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  Speaker 2: do well.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. Yeah, he is responding well to treatment, and
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  Speaker 1: I appreciate that, Dr.
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  Speaker 2: McHill.
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  Speaker 1: Dr. McHill and Tara, thank you to the two of
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  Speaker 1: you for stopping by and sharing this information. It's so
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  Speaker 1: timely for our audience. Where can our audience go for
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  Speaker 1: more information?
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  Speaker 2: I think the best thing that they can do is
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  Speaker 2: to discuss this with their healthcare team. We know that
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  Speaker 2: there is a lot of information out there and sometimes
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  Speaker 2: it's hard to process it all, but having this open
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  Speaker 2: conversation with their healthcare team can direct them to better
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  Speaker 2: understand whether they have myeloma or a loved one has myeloma,
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  Speaker 2: what is best for them and how their case can
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  Speaker 2: be best managed.
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  Speaker 1: Well, again, thanks to the two of you for helping
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  Speaker 1: to raise awareness, spread the word. Tara, thank you so
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  Speaker 1: much for sharing your story. We really appreciate it. Looking
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  Speaker 1: forward to speaking with the two of you again.
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  Speaker 2: Of course.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you so much.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: And we thank your audience for tuning in to another
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  Speaker 1: great segment of Conversations Live. Until next time, I'm your host,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Cyrus Wilson. As always, enjoy your day, enjoy your life,
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  Speaker 1: enjoy your world. Thank you for being with us here
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  Speaker 1: at Conversations Live. Let us go make today amazing. Take care.