Millions of Americans are affected by a blood cancer. Even with this significant impact, most people aren’t aware of the various types of blood cancers, their symptoms, and treatments available.
Dr. Andrew Dalovisio, interim head for the section of hematology and stem cell transplant, and the co-director of the adolescent and young adult oncology program at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, shares information on blood cancers, specifically Multiple Myeloma.
“We don’t know a lot about the specific causes of Multiple Myeloma. There are some exposures that we know about, certain petrochemicals and pesticides, but for the vast majority of patients who get this disease, we don’t really have an explanation.” Says Dr. Dalovisio. “We do know that there is a much higher incidence of this disease in males and particularly African American males where we see almost double the incidence that we see in their counterparts.”
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. To raise awareness both locally and nationally for Multiple Myeloma and other types of blood cancers, we’ve prepared a package of high-resolution video of that covers Multiple Myeloma. To access footage or to coordinate your own interview with Dr. Andrew Dalovisio, contact Shannon.yale@ochsner.org.
