Sandy Wong, MD, on the Meaning of Myeloma Awareness Month

Sandy Wong, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, explains what Myeloma Awareness Month means to her as a clinician and a researcher.

“Myeloma Awareness Month is really putting a spotlight on the journey of myeloma patients, which is very unique compared to other types of cancers,” Dr. Wong said.

In terms of research and new treatments for myeloma, Dr. Wong says there is a “very bright future” for patients with myeloma, as she has seen treatment options for myeloma expand greatly in recent years.

“We’ve come a long way from even just a decade ago about how we treat disease,” Dr. Wong said, noting “there’s a lot of hope” for patients with myeloma.

However, it’s still critical to highlight the unmet needs in myeloma and to bring further awareness to “some of the challenges that are that are so present,” she said.

Overall, the goal is to “work on overcoming these challenges to provide our patients a better experience with their journey,” Dr. Wong emphasized.