Welcome to fall in Canada -- and you never know what the weather might bring. But what you can be sure of is a WMFC newsletter full of updates on what our members have been doing, and what's happening in the WM world in Canada. Read it here!!
It's summertime and the livin' is easy. Many are enjoying what Canada has to offer: the great outdoors, the fruits and vegetables at a local farmers' market, or an evening relaxing as the daytime temperatures moderate. Here's something for your reading pleasure: a summertime-themed newsletter. Read it here! Enjoy the rest of your summer!
In partnership with the IWMF, we are thrilled to make available to you another booklet. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Booklet is helping to achieve our goal of educating both patients and doctors across Canada on the current knowledge on diagnosis and treatment of this cancer. Through the generosity of educational grants from BeOne Canada (formerly BeiGene) and Johnson&Johnson Innovative Medicine (formerly Janssen), printed copies have been put in the mail to our WMFC members (as of about May 1, 2025). And we will continue sending out copies to new members as long as our supplies last! Of course, you can [...]
The IgM-related peripheral neuropathies (IgM-PN) are a group of chronic disorders characterized by the presence of monoclonal IgM that may be associated with one of several diseases affecting the peripheral nerves. Neurological symptoms in this setting can also result from direct invasion of the peripheral or central nervous system by lymphoplasmacytic cells (neurolymphomatosis and Bing-Neel syndrome respectively) or via other mechanisms (for example AL amyloid deposition or cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis). A panel of experts discussed common clinical problems in the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of patients with IgM-PN. The consensus of the discussions is presented here.
May is fundraising month for the WMFC and we are asking you today to support research into finding new treatments and an eventual cure for Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia. Only ten years ago, someone diagnosed with Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia could expect to live another 7.2 years. Now, we WMers may expect to live 15-20 years after diagnosis! You and other WMFC members have funded the research to make these amazing advances possible and all of us are grateful for your contributions. We’re proud the WMFC, an organization run entirely by volunteers, funds groundbreaking research that now enables us -- parents and grandparents with WM, [...]
As you know, this year (2025) your donations are sponsoring two research projects: one with Dr. Hunter at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and one with Dr. Mondello at the Mayo Clinic. Earlier this year, we received "lay language" progress reports. These are exciting times in WM research, but we have to admit that even "lay language" reports tend to be very technical!! You can have a look for yourself: Dr. Hunter's report is here, and Dr. Mondello's report is here
Consensus panel 2 from the 12th International Workshop on Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia was tasked with updating the guidelines on the diagnosis and management of patients with Bing-Neel syndrome (BNS). The report, available here, summarizes the clinical symptoms that may be present with BNS, discusses the criteria required for diagnosis of BNS, makes recommendations for follow-up imaging, and proposes revised guidelines for response assessment in BNS.
Histological transformation (HT) in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare complication and despite growing literature in the last years, no consensus recommendations exist. This panel was convened to review the current data on transformed WM and make recommendations on its diagnosis and management. The report can be read here.
Consensus Panel 5 aimed to establish working definitions for intolerance and resistance to covalent BTK inhibitors, as well as provide strategies to identify and manage these issues not infrequently encountered in clinical practice. The report can be read here.
Approximately 95% of lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas (LPL) are IgM secreting and are characterized as Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM). Conversely, non-IgM secreting LPL are rare. As part of the 12th International Workshop on WM (IWWM-12), a consensus panel of experts was tasked to develop recommendations for the management and response assessment of non-IgM LPL. Their report is available here.
