Treatment – The Bloodline with LLS

Join us as we speak to Veronika Panagiotou, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor and Alique Topalian, a two-time AML survivor. In this episode, Veronika and Alique discuss the long-term side effects they have been experiencing as a result of their chemotherapy treatments.

While their lives have been impacted by these treatments, they have been able to find joy and peace as they work to overcome these side effects. Don’t miss out on this important episode, as blood cancer patients learn to give themselves grace during challenging days in treatment and beyond.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Diffuse large b cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• LIVE! At CancerCon: A Journey Through Survivorship podcast episode
• Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
• Cancer-related cognitive impairment
• The Gathering Place
• Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana (other cities available)
• Caring for Kids and Adolescents Workbook
• Survivorship Workbook

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Financial Assistance Program
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Caregiver Workbook
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

Support for this episode provided by: Pharmacyclics, An AbbVie Company and Janssen Biotech.

Join us as we speak to Heidi MacAlpine, a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patient and occupational therapist. In this episode, Heidi talks to us about her diagnosis of CLL and how she has utilized wellness techniques to reduce inflammation and maintain a good quality of life while on a watch and wait protocol. 

This episode will help patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals understand the benefits of adding wellness practices to conventional therapies, such as yoga, mindfulness, journaling, and massage, to decrease side effects and improve the life of patients following a cancer diagnosis. 

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Watch and Wait (Active Monitoring) protocol
• LLS Write It Out Journal
• Genetic predisposition to CLL
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Patient-Doctor Perspectives: Shared Decision Making podcast episode
• Shared Decision Making in Chronic Leukemias interactive program
• American Association for Cancer Research
• Interleukin 8
• Caregiver support

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Financial Assistance Program
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Support groups 
• Caregiver Workbook
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by: BeiGene USA, Inc.; Bristol Myers Squibb; Genentech, Inc. & Biogen; Loxo Oncology at Lilly and Pharmacyclics, An AbbVie Company & Janssen Biotech.

Join us as we speak to Tim Cooper, a multiple myeloma patient and caregiver. In this episode, Tim discusses how he was diagnosed with myeloma after sustaining a neck fracture. Unlike many patients, he was familiar with myeloma, as his mother had been diagnosed with myeloma years prior.  

After multiple treatments, including chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, Tim is doing well and enjoying life. He finds that sharing his story is therapeutic and encourages other patients to keep pushing forward and find hope after a blood cancer diagnosis.  

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Multiple Myeloma
• LLS Financial Assistance Program
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
• Beating Incurable podcast episodes
• Caregiver support 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Support groups 
• Caregiver Workbook
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by: Bristol Myers Squibb; GSK plc.

Join us as we speak to John Falco, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 2019 and then later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in his brain in 2021. This incredibly rare second diagnosis changed the course of John’s treatment and thankfully led to him achieving a complete remission after a stem cell transplant.

As a young adult professional, John was at the heart of his career at the time of his diagnosis and felt the pressure to return to normal, which meant returning to work quickly. He shares advice with other young adult cancer patients to slow down and enjoy life, while also listening to your body and advocating for yourself.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs)
• Be The Match – Bone Marrow Donor Registry
• Let’s Talk About Stem Cell Transplantation: Benefits and Side Effects podcast episode
• Tips about Talking to Your Employer 
• Light The Night event

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Join us as we speak to Dr. Anand Patel and Dr. Satyajit Kosuri from The University of Chicago Medicine about the latest treatment advances for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In honor of MDS Awareness Day on October 25th, the doctors discuss how MDS develops, why genetic mutations matter when choosing a treatment course, and how stem cell transplantation, targeted treatments and cellular therapies bring hope to MDS patients and their families.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Transplant Support and Graft-Versus-Host-Disease (GVHD) episode
• Patient-Doctor Perspectives: Hereditary Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• Transplant Optimization Program (TOP)
• MyeloMATCH initiative
• CAR T-cell Therapy
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Cellular Therapies
• Graft-Vs-Host Disease
• Be The Match – Bone Marrow Donor Registry

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists 
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Financial support
• Young Adult Resources
• Survivorship Workbook
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program 
• Free Nutrition Consultations

Support for this episode is provided by University of Chicago Medicine.

Don’t miss this story of a patient who refuses to let cancer define his life.  

Join us as we speak to Bruce Rieder, who was diagnosed in 2019 with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In this episode, Bruce shares about his diagnosis and subsequent search for a clinical trial. He connected with the LLS Clinical Trial Support Center, sought out a second opinion and ended up with a specialist in a nearby cancer center. He received a stem cell transplant in February 2020, right before the world shut down due to COVID.  

Now, two years after his transplant, Bruce stays active in the LLS Community and has received support from the Patti Robinson Kauffman First Connection® program.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Mantle Cell Lymphoma
• Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Part One: Treatment Advances episode
• Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Part Two: CAR T-Cell Therapy episode
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• COVID Information
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Community 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Inc. & Biogen, and Merck & Co., Inc.

Please join us as we speak to Dr. Shernan Holtan and guest co-host from LLS, Christina Neilsen. In this episode, Dr. Holtan discusses stem cell transplants; how they work, the different types of transplants, and the side effects, including graft-vs-host disease (GVHD).

Dr. Holtan shares exciting new research on reducing GVHD and provides blood cancer patients with hope as transplantations continue to improve and bring about potential cures.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Stem Cell Transplant
• Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
• Graft-verses-Host Disease Fact Sheet
• CAR T-cell Therapy
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Hope Lodge
• Posttransplant Cyclophosphamide
• Be The Match

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Please join us as we speak to Dr. Daniel Pollyea from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  In this episode, Dr. Pollyea discusses the group of diseases that make up Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and how their variability leads to different treatments and prognoses, from active monitoring to chemotherapy and/or stem cell transplantation.  He shares his excitement about new treatment advances and is looking forward to an era of innovative targeted treatments for MDS.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Booklets
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Stem Cell Transplant
• IPSS-R Scoring System
• IPSS-M Scoring System
• Clinical Trial Support Center

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by Taiho Oncology.

Please join us as we speak to Howard Willens, a chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) patient. In this episode, Howard shares how he was diagnosed with this rare blood cancer. He shares how patient support groups have assisted him, and how he no longer feels alone. His story encourages CMML patients to focus on stability and the present, while living their lives to the fullest.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)
• CMML Fact Sheet
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs)
• Mental Health Resources
• LLS Community 
• CMML Friends on Facebook

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by Taiho Oncology.

Join us as we speak to Dr. Benjamin Lampson of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. In Part Two of this two-part series on mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), Dr. Lampson discusses the development and utilization of CAR T-cell therapy for MCL. Approved in July of 2020 for relapsed or refractory MCL, CAR T-cell therapy has shown incredible promise and is already giving hope to patients and doctors as a potential cure.

Be sure to tune into Part 1, where Dr. Lampson discussed the current treatments and latest advances for MCL.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Mantle Cell Lymphoma
• Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) with Dr. Benjamin Lampson: What Patients Should Know episode
• CAR T cell Therapy
• Highlights from ASH conference

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by Bristol Myers Squibb; CRISPR Therapeutics; Janssen Oncology & Legend Biotech; KITE, a Gilead Company and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.