Health
Multiple myeloma, rare blood cancer: Bruce Springsteen's wife's diagnosis spotlights the illness
Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s wife and a member of the E Street Band, recently shared that she was diagnosed in 2018 with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma.
She revealed her illness in the documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 8.
The production gives a behind-the-scenes look at the famed musician and the long-standing band during their latest tour.
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“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” Scialfa, 71, said in the film when discussing her illness.
Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s wife and a member of the E Street Band, recently shared that she was diagnosed in 2018 with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. (Getty Images)
“Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat,” she continued.
Scialfa joined the E Street Band right before the 1984 “Born in the U.S.A.” tour. She later married Springsteen in 1991 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Fox News Digital reached out to Scialfa for comment.
What is multiple myeloma?
Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the cells in the bone marrow, is diagnosed in more than 35,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Plasma cells grow in the bone marrow, which has been described as a “factory” of blood.
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In a healthy person, the cells produce proteins called antibodies that are directed against germs to fight infection, according to Dr. Cristina Gasparetto, a hematologic oncologist and professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine.
Multiple myeloma occurs when plasma cells grow “out of control,” the ACS states.
Multiple myeloma occurs when plasma cells grow “out of control,” per the American Cancer Society. (iStock)
That causes abnormal antibodies to be secreted in the blood, which can damage the bones and other organs.
“[The disease] is called ‘multiple’ because there are frequently multiple patches or areas in the bone where it grows,” Dr. Joseph Mikhael, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation in California, told Fox News Digital.
Symptoms of the disease
“Most of the signs and symptoms of myeloma are rather general, with the top three being excessive fatigue, bone pain and anemia,” Mikhael said.
Some patients, however, may not have any symptoms when they are diagnosed.
The most common symptoms can be summed up in the acronym “CRAB,” which stands for high calcium levels in the blood, renal (or kidney) insufficiency, anemia and bone destruction, experts say.
The top three symptoms of the disease are excessive fatigue, bone pain and anemia, experts say.
Bone pain is the hallmark of the disease, as the myeloma cells grow within the bone, which may lead to elevated levels of calcium in the blood, Gasparetto told Fox News Digital.
“Symptoms of having high calcium include increased thirst, dehydration, fatigue, muscle pain and sometimes confusion,” she added.
Multiple myeloma is diagnosed in more than 35,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society. (iStock)
The antibodies produced by the myeloma cells are eliminated through the kidneys, which can cause obstruction and/or direct damage to the organs.
“The patient will notice some foamy urine, due to the presence of an abundant amount of an [abnormal] protein called Bence-Jones proteinuria,” Gasparetto said.
Methods of diagnosis
The first step is typically to administer specific blood and urine tests, which reveal abnormally high protein levels excreted by the tumor cells – often referred to as an “M spike,” experts told Fox News Digital.
“We measure this protein at the time of diagnosis, during therapy to assess response, and thereafter to monitor progression or relapse,” Gasparetto said.
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Bone pain may also prompt imaging, which would reveal any skeletal abnormalities.
The initial results are then confirmed with a bone aspiration and biopsy.
“With the bone marrow aspiration, we remove a small amount of fluid from the bone marrow, and with the bone marrow biopsy, we remove a small piece of bone,” Gasparetto said.
Myeloma does not typically run in families, but there is a slightly increased incidence when a family member has the disease, experts say. (iStock)
A pathologist then analyzes the sample to determine the severity of the disease.
The final diagnosis is based on a combination of all these tests — blood work, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, imaging studies and urinalysis, experts told Fox News Digital.
Risk factors for the disease
Myeloma does not typically run in families, but there is a slightly increased incidence when a family member has the disease, Mikhael told Fox News Digital.
“For the vast majority of cases, we do not know the cause of myeloma.”
Many cases may be due to random genetic changes that occur later in life, experts say.
“For the vast majority of cases, we do not know the cause of myeloma,” Mikhael said. “It is more common as we age, with the average age of diagnosis approximately 69.”
African-American and Latino American patients are diagnosed at a younger age, on average at around 64 or 65.
Individuals of African descent are twice as likely to have myeloma, statistics show.
Multiple myeloma is more common as people age, doctors say, with the average age of diagnosis approximately 69. (iStock)
Firefighters who have been exposed to fires are more at risk, and other types of chemical exposures are also connected to myeloma, including Agent Orange and excessive radiation, Mikhael noted.
There may also be a greater risk for people who have a higher increased body mass index, as well as in people who have certain blood conditions, such as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which involves an abnormal protein in the blood without the organ damage caused by multiple myeloma.
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In most cases, multiple myeloma cannot be prevented, according to Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, chief of the division of hematology of Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami.
Treatment options
The American Cancer Society recommends that myeloma patients see an oncologist for a personalized treatment plan based on their age, overall health and severity of the disease.
Some therapies may include monoclonal antibodies and drugs called immune modulating agents, which boost the immune system to help the body fight cancer.
“Multiple myeloma can [also] be treated with chemotherapy — up to three or four drug regimens for a few months, followed by maintenance therapy,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Multiple myeloma can [also] be treated with chemotherapy — up to three or four drug regimens for a few months, followed by maintenance therapy,” Sekeres told Fox News Digital.
Eligible patients may pursue a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant, which can lead to prolonged remissions, the doctor added.
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The cancer is not cured with conventional therapy, but most patients respond well to treatment, according to Mikhael.
“The average survival rate was one or two years just 20 years ago, but it is now over 10 years,” he noted.
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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