Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month: Innovation in Multiple Myeloma

This Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, HealthTree Foundation focused on the theme Innovation Starts With You. The topics we have covered have ranged from new developments in myeloma research and how patients can participate to the future of defining a cure in myeloma. 

HealthTree Foundation was started by Jenny Ahlstrom, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010. For Jenny, it has always been a priority to put patients at the center of their care and give them the tools they need to take charge of their care. 

Empowering people with myeloma to advocate and participate in research

“Innovation Starts With You means that patients are sometimes the most likely stakeholder to create services or tools that should exist because they best understand the need,” Jenny Ahlstrom said. “Patients have the power and the creativity to create what should exist.” 

At HealthTree, Jenny has created the tool she always wanted when she was in active treatment. “As a myeloma patient, I wanted to create something that patients needed that didn’t exist. Everything we’ve built at HealthTree is to serve that mission to continually innovate until we have better care and cures.” 

By working with our partners in oncology, we’re able to bring information, community events, and resources to myeloma patients. And, when you connect your records with HealthTree, you can share your data to help researchers learn more about myeloma. 

How health data can help improve the lives of myeloma patients 

“HealthTree is a great example of innovation in research, namely the work that HealthTree has done with real-world data to answer clinical questions that are impossible or impractical to answer through clinical trials,” said Dr. Rahul Banerjee, an oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “Research with new drugs in myeloma is moving a mile a minute, which I could not be happier about. But as these new drugs get approved, what can we do to optimize the dosing of older drugs like dexamethasone? How can we improve patient quality of life in terms of eye health, sexual health, and more? These are questions that I've been able to work with HealthTree on thanks to the hundreds of patients who have kindly linked their data via HealthTree, and there is really no other research platform like this for physicians like me.” 

Jenny hopes that patients understand how much influence they can have in the development of myeloma cures. “By connecting your medical records, you share vital information that can be used by the research community to cure you faster,” she said. “Innovation needs you!” 

Myeloma cures are possible because of research that has been powered by patients

Recent innovations in myeloma research have led to treatment advances that mean a cure is in sight. 

“Myeloma is curable is no longer a pie-in-the-sky statement. Thanks in large part to advances with CAR-T therapy and bispecific antibodies, we probably are indeed curing a proportion of our patients reliably. The International Myeloma Summit even convened a Cure Summit earlier this year to set up a working definition of cure that can be used in clinical trials and real-world data registries. The fact that we are even having these conversations is giving me tremendous hope,” said Dr. Banerjee. 

Research continues to improve lives for people with myeloma

You can participate in research with HealthTree Foundation by connecting your records and answering surveys. HealthTree researchers use this data to help oncologists understand information ranging from: 

• Physical activity habits
• Diet
• Patient attitudes about different aspects of cancer care
• Health history

“I can talk about clinical trial data all day, but it’s my patients who have taught me a tremendous amount about side effect management, and issues I didn’t even know were problematic,” said Dr. Bannerjee. 

Connect your records today

If you would like to participate in research surveys, track your labs, find ways to manage your side effects, and more, connect your health records with HealthTree to see all of your health data in one place.

Connect Your Records