Sandy Wong, MD, on Raising Myeloma Awareness

Sandy Wong, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, explains how clinicians and researchers can share their knowledge about myeloma during Myeloma Awareness Month and beyond.

“I’m a firm believer in interacting directly with the patients,” Dr. Wong said.

It’s critical to communicate with patients, she said, as patients may live in an area where they do not have access to a myeloma specialist, and they may not know about the newest therapies.

“There are a lot of great treatments for this disease,” Dr. Wong said. “I think especially for newly diagnosed patients, it is very scary when you first encounter this diagnosis of an incurable cancer. But there’s actually a lot of great treatments that not only work but can provide a really good quality of life.”

Beyond patients, it’s important to educate other clinicians and health care providers about the “latest research and the good news” in the field, she said.

“We can educate each other, and we can educate patients, as well as our local doctors, about this disease better,” Dr. Wong said.