Managing Myeloma reviews past accomplishments; discusses future goals in evolving therapeutic landscape

Managing Myeloma (www.ManagingMyeloma.com) convened the 2010 Multidisciplinary Advisory Board on January 16, 2010 to review the past 18 months and discuss the educational and practical needs of myeloma practitioners in an evolving therapeutic landscape.

The advisors, a multidisciplinary group of oncology global thought leaders, community physicians, nurses and pharmacists, reaffirmed their commitment to the comprehensive educational initiative as they reviewed 2008-2009 accomplishments, discussed 2010-2011 goals and challenges, and identified opportunities to maintain and grow the already impressive US and international membership (1,376) and improve content and resources for the myeloma practitioner since the launch of www.ManagingMyeloma.com in December 2008.

Dr. Sundar Jagannath, Chief of Multiple Myeloma Services and the Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation Program at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York, chaired the meeting in the absence of Dr. Ken Anderson and was extremely enthusiastic about the future of the site, "Managing Myeloma has the potential to become a center of excellence for healthcare professionals dealing with multiple myeloma."

Two of most exciting initiatives discussed were Managing Myeloma Theme Months and the Practitioner Tool Kit.

Each month, www.ManagingMyeloma.com will feature a "hot" topic in multiple myeloma. The site will host brief video clinical commentaries from experts providing updates on the selected topic and its implications for daily clinical practice. Members and other site visitors can also view Frequently Asked Questions related to the topic. The site also features regular polls regarding current clinical practice patterns, presenting a valuable opportunity for practitioners to weigh in with their opinions. Managing Myeloma experts interpret the poll results, take note of current practice patterns, and provide feedback regarding how their practices compare with state-of-the-art recommendations and recent clinical trial updates.

Managing Myeloma Theme Months will kick off in March 2010.

The Managing Myeloma Practitioner Tool Kit will be the go-to resource for practitioners due to its on-demand format and easy accessibility. The Tool Kit will comprise clinical tools, resources and calculators in a variety of formats for print, web, and mobile applications.

"I do not know of another website that has this type of information which is really the things that are important [in] taking care of patients with myeloma," stated Dr. Mike Conde, a practitioner at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey.  

The board agreed, the content in conjunction with the application of networking technology and user-friendly formats will be incredibly advantageous to healthcare providers.