Early Detection of Multiple Myeloma to Fight Cancer Disparities: A Screening and Patient Navigation Program
Early Detection of Multiple Myeloma to Fight Cancer Disparities: A Screening and Patient Navigation Program
This project will pilot the expansion of the existing Taussig Outreach Program's community outreach and patient navigation model to study the multiple myeloma (MM) screening program. This involves analyzing community reception, screening program methods, reasons patients decided to participate, reasons patients declined participation, and participant views and attitudes. This study also aims to gauge the current and general understanding of MM. This study seeks to recruit participants in the pilot screening program to promote early detection. Participants who have abnormal results will receive patient navigation for further diagnostics and testing.
Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a hematologic cancer of antibody-producing plasma cells. Multiple Myeloma is always preceded by a pre-malignant condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) or smoldering multiple myeloma. Despite multiple therapeutic advances, there remains no cure for multiple myeloma. The disease is treated and monitored throughout a person's lifetime. This is why screening for early detection of this disease is important; however, MGUS and smoldering multiple myeloma are only diagnosed when they are found incidentally on labs during tests for unrelated symptoms. There are no current universal screening guidelines for MM. Among those who may benefit from MM screenings include African American/Black individuals, as it is twice as common in this population compared to Caucasian/White individuals. This study aims to develop a screening program specifically targeting underserved African American/Black individuals. This project will expand the existing Taussig Community Outreach screening program to include screening for multiple myeloma.
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