Huntsman Cancer Institute Myeloma Program – Message from the Director

Dr. Guido Tricot, the director of the Huntsman Cancer Instiute Multiple Myeloma Program

A message from
Guido Tricot, MD, PhD
Director of the Utah Blood and Marrow Transplant and Myeloma Program

Dear myeloma patient,

Dealing with cancer is an uphill battle, and we understand the anxiety your diagnosis may bring.

Deciding where to seek treatment for your myeloma is among the biggest and most important decisions you will make pertaining to your disease. Therefore, it is essential you learn as much as you can about various treatment facilities and what they can offer you.

The Myeloma Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) is unique and successful in treating multiple myeloma patients for several reasons:

Data and Experience

The median overall survival for myeloma patients with conventional chemotherapy is 2.5 to 3 years. However, more intensive treatments with tandem autologous transplants have increased the median survival to 10 years or more. Alongside a team of researchers and other medical professionals, I have performed tandem autologous transplants since 1990 and the long-term outcome data from this work have been published extensively. Outcomes have been good and have improved consistently over the last 17 years. Now, 80% of newly-diagnosed myeloma patients achieve a complete remission, and more than 50% of all patients with newly-diagnosed myeloma can expect to live 10 years after the start of treatment. This is exciting progress in the treatment of this disease.

No matter where you ultimately decide to go for treatment, I would advise that you always ask your doctor how many myeloma patients he or she treats per year and what percentage of patients treated in the way your doctor proposes have survived after 3, 5, and 10 years. I say this because with some proposed treatments, especially with newer drugs, long-term data are lacking. This may leave you relying on chance rather than on hard scientific data for something as important as your disease outcome.

We have gathered an excellent staff of doctors, nurses, physician extenders, coordinators, schedulers, and supportive care providers to assist you. Their goal is to maximize the chances that you will do well with your treatment and that your clinic visits will come with the least possible stress.

During clinic visits, we promise to provide you with sufficient time to answer all your questions and ensure we have a thorough knowledge not only of your particular kind of myeloma but also of any other medical problems. When you leave the hospital, we will remain accessible and ready to listen. Our life and work revolves around keeping you as healthy as possible.

The Myeloma Program at HCI takes a holistic approach to treatment and offers you many supportive services to complement quality medical care, including access to licensed social workers for emotional counseling, financial advisors, fitness and nutrition programs, a library filled with educational materials about myeloma, and therapy to help with anxiety and pain management.

We also pledge to actively involve you in making decisions about your myeloma treatment. It is important that you feel in control of what happens to your body.

We are proud to say that the Myeloma Program at HCI is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), which means it lives up to the standards required by our peers for an excellent transplant program.

Also, HCI is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center. These centers are characterized by scientific excellence and the capability to integrate a diversity of research approaches.

And, University of Utah Healthcare and Huntsman Cancer Hospital were named among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News and World Report.

Please contact our New Patient Coordinator with any questions you may have as you continue the process of deciding where to seek treatment. It is my sincere hope that you will consider coming to Salt Lake City so we can work side-by-side to ensure the best outcome for you. We will make your stay here as comfortable as possible.