Learn about all myeloma happenings on the new Myeloma Crowd site: the first comprehensive site for myeloma patients and caregivers. Dr. Walter Michael Kuehl, MD, PhD Center for Cancer Research National Cancer Institute Interview date: April 25, 2014

 Dr. Kuehl, in partnership with Dr. Bergsagel, discovered that myeloma is not a single disease. This significant discovery has led to great insights about what triggers myeloma growth, how each type of myeloma acts differently and the implications this has for future treatment approaches. Dr. Kuehl found 7 translocation types divided into three groups. In this interview, he shares how that discovery was made and what "primary" and "secondary" translocations mean. He describes how myeloma progresses in three steps 1)The appearance of MGUS 2)The transition from MGUS to active myeloma and 3)Myeloma proliferation. He shares the fact that when MGUS is compared with active myeloma, there is 3x more MYC present, suggesting that MYC could trigger MGUS to move to an active myeloma stage. He describes how MYC may not cause the cell growth, but give myeloma the autonomy to grow. Many of these translocation groups have overexpressed Cyclin D, but he describes how Cyclin D may make the cells more sensitive but on it's own is not enough to spur myeloma growth. He describes how to test for your myeloma's biology and stresses that the more patients know, the better care they will receive. He also tells us that patients can contribute to the treatment of their disease and help stimulate newer approaches with their unique perspective. He shares the opinion that the day of immunotherapies has arrived and advocates going to specialists who can provide the very best in myeloma care - and that means getting a second opinion when needed. We owe a debt of gratitude for his tireless efforts that have offered great insights into this complex disease.  The live mPatient Myeloma Radio podcast with Dr. W. Michael Kuehl