Publications by authors named "McCurdy A"

Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) and its complications carry a high rate of morbidity and mortality.

Objective: This review evaluates MM and its complications, including presentation, diagnosis, and management in the emergency department (ED) based on current evidence.

Discussion: MM is the second most common hematologic cancer and associated with monoclonal plasma cell proliferation.

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Background: Young patients ≤ 50 years old with multiple myeloma (MM) account for about 10% of cases and are underrepresented in the literature.

Methods: We explored disease characteristics, treatments, and outcomes following modern therapies of young MM patients using the Canadian Myeloma Research Group (CMRG) database. We included 493 patients ≤ 50 years old diagnosed with MM or plasma cell leukemia without concurrent amyloidosis or POEMS syndrome from January 1, 2010, to July 1, 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • - A systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness and safety of quadruplet regimens (anti-CD38 mAbs, proteosome inhibitors, and immunomodulatory drugs) for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), finding seven randomized controlled trials with 3,716 participants.
  • - Results showed that quadruplets significantly improved overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity compared to triplet regimens, offering better overall survival (OS) as well.
  • - Although quadruplets did lead to a slight increase in serious infections, they are suggested as a new standard of care, especially for transplant-eligible patients with NDMM, due to their overall enhanced
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Homophobic bullying constitutes a serious threat to adolescent well-being and could be understood as an ecological phenomenon, influenced by diverse school, regional, and community contexts. This study examined geographic variations in the relationship between school characteristics and homophobic bullying. Data from 2244 California schools, including student surveys and administrative records, were combined and analyzed using geographically weighted regression (GWR).

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Given the early use of triplet and quadruplet regimens, most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) will be exposed and/or refractory to PIs, IMiDs, and anti-CD38 mAbs after first- or second-line treatment. Effective treatment for this group of triple class exposed/refractory (TCE/R) patients is crucial. Here we present a post-hoc subgroup analysis of TCE/R patients treated on the ALGONQUIN study of belantamab mafodotin plus pomalidomide-dexamethasone (belamaf-Pd) for relapsed MM.

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Article Synopsis
  • Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) is an effective treatment for multiple myeloma, with real-world data collected from 61,725 patients revealing median overall survival of 90.2 months and median progression-free survival of 36.5 months.* -
  • Cumulative relapse incidence and non-relapse mortality rates at 24 months were found to be 33% and 2.5% respectively, with better outcomes linked to factors like younger age, certain disease subtypes, and high performance status.* -
  • Global variations were observed in patient outcomes based on registry data, influenced by differences in patient characteristics, use of maintenance treatments, and macroeconomic factors, highlighting the safety and effectiveness of AH
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Background: Pomalidomide-based regimens are the cornerstone of treatment for relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM). Despite the high incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in RRMM, individuals with advanced CKD have been excluded from phase II/III RCTs, creating a gap in our understanding of the effects of pomalidomide use in patients with RRMM complicated with advanced CKD. We undertook a cohort to study to understand the efficacy safety of pomalidomide-based regimens among patients with CKD using real-world data.

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In patients with multiple myeloma (MM), the presence of high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities is associated with worse disease control and survival. Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) does benefit these patients. Tandem transplantation has been explored as a means to deepen responses and further improve survival however, its role remains controversial.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to test the roles of ethnic and racial identity (ERI) processes and autonomy-supportive parenting on college students' psychological adjustment.

Method: American college students of color ( = 505) completed questionnaires assessing ERI exploration and commitment, autonomy-supportive parenting, and psychological adjustment (self-esteem, depressive symptoms). Key variables were operationalized as latent constructs, and main and interaction effects were tested using the latent moderated structural equation modeling approach.

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Multiple myeloma remains an incurable cancer mostly affecting older adults and is characterized by a series of remission inductions and relapses. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes in newly diagnosed transplant-ineligible patients using bortezomib/lenalidomide-based regimens in the Canadian real world as well as their outcomes in the second line. The Canadian Myeloma Research Group Database (CMRG-DB) is a national database with input from multiple Canadian Centres with now up to 8000 patients entered.

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Developing prognostic tools specifically for patients themselves represents an important step in empowering patients to engage in shared decision-making. Incorporating patient-reported outcomes may improve the accuracy of these prognostic tools. We conducted a retrospective population-based study of transplant-ineligible (TIE) patients with multiple myeloma (MM) diagnosed between January 2007 and December 2018.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study assessed frailty among 116 patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) using various frailty scales, finding a notable range in frailty classification (15.5% to 56.9%).
  • Common impairments in functional, cognitive, and mobility areas were observed across patients, regardless of their performance status.
  • Differences in treatment decisions, particularly drug dose reductions, were significant between frail and non-frail patients, highlighting the need for a standardized frailty assessment to improve treatment selection and reduce toxicity.
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Control of plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) on golf putting greens with nematicides is dependent on the seasonal occurrence and depth distribution of target PPN populations. This study aimed to determine if plant-parasitic nematode populations on golf course putting greens in Missouri and Indiana peaked at a targetable depth at a specific time in the year, focusing primarily on lance ( spp.) and root-knot ( spp.

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  • The study analyzes youth homelessness in relation to social identities, focusing on racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender identities, using data from the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey of over 80,000 students.
  • It finds that low parental care is a major predictor of unaccompanied homelessness and running away, particularly among youth of color with intersecting marginalized identities.
  • The research emphasizes the need for culturally informed prevention and intervention strategies to support LGBTQ+ youth of color, addressing broader systemic issues of power and oppression.
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Due to evolving treatment standards for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, many patients will be triple-class exposed after initial relapses and have poor survival. Novel therapies and combinations are therefore required to improve outcomes. B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted biologics have emerged as an important new area of therapeutics for relapsed multiple myeloma.

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Multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable despite the availability of novel agents. This multi-center retrospective cohort study used the Canadian Myeloma Research Group Database to describe real-world outcomes of patients withanti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (mAb) refractory MM subsequently treated with standard of care (SoC) regimens. Patients with triple class refractory (TCR) disease (refractory to a proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulatory drug, and anti-CD38 mAb) were examined as a distinct cohort.

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This study investigated differences in depressive symptoms, loneliness, and self-esteem for monosexual (lesbian, gay) and plurisexual (bisexual, pansexual, queer) sexual minority youth (SMY) by relationship status (single, partnered) and relationship configuration (same-gender partner, different-gender partner). Participants included 338 SMY (M  = 19.10 years) who reported on their relationship status, partner's gender identity, well-being, and ability to confide in partner about LGBTQ issues.

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Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) remains an important option for eligible multiple myeloma (MM) patients as part of initial therapy. Using the Canadian Myeloma Research Group (CMRG) national database, we examined the details and outcomes of ASCT performed as first-line therapy in eligible Canadian MM patients between 2007 to 2021. We included 3821 patients with 72% receiving CyBorD induction and 2061 patients receiving maintenance, consisting of lenalidomide +/- steroids in 78.

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While most patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) receive initial therapy, reported attrition rates are high. Understanding attrition rates and characteristics of patients not receiving subsequent therapy is useful for MM stakeholders. We performed an analysis of attrition rates in a large disease-specific database of patients with newly diagnosed MM who received at least one line of therapy between Jan 1/10-Dec 31/20.

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Survival has improved in patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) over the last two decades; however, there remains a paucity of data on the causes of death in MM patients and whether causes of death change during the disease trajectory. We conducted a retrospective population-based study to evaluate the rates of MM-specific versus non-MM cause of death and to identify factors associated with cause-specific death in MM patients, stratified into autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and non-ASCT cohorts. A total of 6,677 patients were included, 2,576 in the ASCT group and 4,010 in the non-ASCT group.

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