A report in the news this week suggests that 9/11 responders to the World Trade Center may be at an increased risk for myeloma. The report’s authors caution that their findings are very preliminary, however so far eight responders have been diagnosed with myeloma, four of whom are men who were diagnosed when they were younger than 45 years. Myeloma typically is diagnosed in persons who are aged 50 years or older.

While some say that it is possible for these myeloma cases to be linked to these patients’ time at Ground Zero, there is also admission that it could just be a coincidence. "In all fairness, it is unusual for this patient population to have multiple myeloma but it's not unheard of," explains Dr. Denise Pereira, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "But a lot of the things they were exposed to, such as benzene, have in the past possibly been implicated with an increased incidence in the cancer. It does make theoretical sense."

This report appears in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine; to read the full news article visit HealthDay.

If you’d like to learn more about myeloma, here are some myeloma resources you can find on The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) website.

• Find out about causes, signs and symptoms and much more in the Myeloma section on www.LLS.org.
  
• Order or download these free booklets, Myeloma and The Myeloma Guide: Information for Patients and Caregivers.
  
• Already living with myeloma or are taking care of a loved one with myeloma? Some myeloma patients may qualify for the Co-Pay Assistance Program.

As always, our Information Resource Center specialists are available to take your questions Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST at (800) 955-4572. You may also contact them online.

Like many people around the world, you may be concerned about the current state of the economy and how that affects your family’s finances. If you are struggling financially and have bills for for blood cancer treatment we have some resources that may help you.

Health Insurance – Learn about your rights, COBRA and other helpful information.

Patient Financial Aid – The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) provides a small amount of financial assistance to patients in financial need. Application also available in Spanish.

Co-Pay Assistance Program – This program offers help with the cost of insurance co-payments and/or insurance premium costs for prescription drugs for certain blood cancer diagnosis, depending on the availability of funds. Patients must qualify both medically and financially for this program. Also in Spanish.

Financial Health Matters – Download or order this free, informative booklet about how to deal more effectively with some of the financial challenges you may face as a blood cancer patient or caregiver. Also in Spanish.

Cancer Survivorship: Practical Tips for Managing Your Financial and Insurance Issues – Listen to the audio or download the transcript for this teleconference.

If you haven’t already, you may also want to register for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Community where you can participate in peer to peer discussions about financial and insurance issues.

We also encourage you to call our Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572 and talk to one of our information specialists about other potential resources that may be available to you.

We've talked about our financial aid programs here before, but it’s good to get a reminder every now and then – especially now that we’re all feeling the crunch a little more with the slowing economy.

First, a few items to keep in mind:

• Not all patients will qualify for financial assistance, but the surest way to find out is to contact us for eligibility information.

• We receive quite a few applications on a regular basis and process them in the order that they are received, so be assured that we are working very hard to process your application if you have already submitted one.

• If you are confused about something on the application, contact us and we’ll  explain.

Here is our list of financial aid programs for patients that you may be able to use:

• Co-Pay Assistance Program – This program offers financial support for eligible patients towards the cost of insurance co-payments and/or insurance premium costs for prescription drugs. If you have questions about this program call the Co-Pay Assistance Program at (877) 557-2672 or email copay@lls.org and a specialist will assist you.

• Patient Financial Aid Program – This program offers financial reimbursement for some medications, transportation and procedures. You can also contact your local chapter, and they will be able to assist you.

Here are a few other educational resources which you may find helpful as you try to figure out how best to manage your finances in relation to health care costs:

• Cancer Survivorship: Practical Tips for Managing Your Financial and Insurance Issues – Part 1 | Part 2 – These are .mp3 files, so you’ll need an audio player like Windows Media Player or Real Player – both free - on your computer to listen to them. You may also download the .pdf transcript of this program or access other survivorship-themed audio programs here.

• Financial Health Matters – You may download the free .pdf or go through our online order form to receive a printed copy in the mail. This booklet has many helpful financial tips when dealing with health care costs.

• Financial Support – You can find more helpful information about finances and health care issues in our Financial Support section on www.LLS.org.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact our Information Resource Center by sending a message via our Contact Us form or call us at (800) 955-4572. Our specialists will be happy to assist you.

Unless you’ve been hiding somewhere, you’ll know that the economy is having a little bit of a tough time right now. The headlines I’m seeing as I’m typing this are:

• “Cash strapped, and driving less”

• “The next shoe to drop in housing”

• "Financial markets looking for bottom”

• “A slice of pizza gets pricier” (And yes, that’s a real headline – and a real shame for pizza lovers.)

It’s not easy dealing with a strapped economy when you’re well, let alone when you have a disease like cancer. You might already be feeling uneasy about your job, retirement income, and assets. On top of everything else you now have medical bills. It’s crazy, and it’s making you crazy (I would be anyway).

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) can’t solve all of your financial woes, but we have a few resources that may be able to help you find some relief.

• Patient Financial Aid – This program reimburses for some medications, transportation costs, and procedures.

• Co-Pay Assistance Program – This program helps with co-pay and prescription medication costs.

There is also a wealth of advice about your employment rights as a cancer survivor, issues with insurance, and other programs that help with prescription drug coverage.

Finally, there is an archived teleconference in the Survivorship Education Series section of the LLS website called, “Cancer Survivorship: Practical Tips for Managing Your Financial and Insurance Issues.”

What do you do when your medical bills become too high? Are you going through this now?

If you think someone you know would benefit from this information share this blog post with them.