{"podcast":{"title":"Blood Cancer Talks","slug":"blood-cancer-talks-5570002","podcast_index_feed_id":5570002,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/bloodcancertalks","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/W_5G4oA5kAcf9vixuJQw-sMFE98Hvnnp4pex_BzuYvE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzMyMDc4LzE2NTcz/MTQxMDUtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg","author":"Rajshekhar Chakraborty, Ashwin Kishtagari, and Edward Cliff","episode_count":75,"summary":"This is a podcast on latest advances in the understanding and management of blood cancers. Here, we will bring a wide range of experts within hematologic malignancies to discuss various topics in depth. Host: Raj Chakraborty, MD from Columbia University, New York, Ashwin Kishtagari, MD, from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, and Edward Cliff, MD, from Harvard University, Boston Tweet your suggestions and feedback to @rajshekharucms @AshKishtagari @Eddie_Cliff @BloodCancerTalk","last_synced_at":"2026-09-03T22:19:58.611204+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/blood-cancer-talks-5570002"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 71. Management of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma with Dr. Vincent Rajkumar","slug":"episode-71-management-of-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma-with-dr-vincent-rajkumar","published_at":"2026-05-19T16:27:37+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/blood-cancer-talks-5570002/episode-71-management-of-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma-with-dr-vincent-rajkumar","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/blood-cancer-talks-5570002","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/85832ee7","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/85832ee7/a2c35676.mp3","summary":"In this episode, Raj, Ashwin, and Eddie sit down with Dr. Vincent Rajkumar — Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic and Chair of the ECOG Myeloma Committee — for a clinically focused conversation on newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Topics span baseline workup, risk stratification, induction selection, transplant timing, MRD-directed decision-making, and maintenance strategy. The episode closes with a discussion of Open Medicine, a new medical education platform, and Dr. Rajkumar's ongoing advocacy on drug pricing reform. KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED Baseline workup: 24-hour urine protein: It is important to obtain 24-hour urine protein with electrophoresis and immunofixation in all newly diagnosed patients — not for diagnosis, but to establish a baseline for long-term management and to distinguish M-protein from albuminuria. In patients where an FLC ratio ≥100 is the sole myeloma-defining criterion, a 24-hour urine Bence Jones protein ≥200 mg is part of the diagnostic threshold for treatment initiation. Myeloma cast nephropathy: when to biopsy: An involved FLC ≥50 mg/dL supports a presumptive diagnosis of cast nephropathy and treatment can begin without a kidney biopsy. Below this threshold — particularly if renal involvement is the sole myeloma-defining event — kidney biopsy is warranted to exclude light chain deposition disease, MPGN, or other unrelated disorders. It warrants aggressive early treatment (Dara-VCD or Dara-VD), starting even before bone marrow results are available when the diagnosis is clinically clear. Solitary plasmacytoma [with or without minimal bone marrow involvement]: Patients with ~10% clonal plasma cells technically meet criteria for myeloma, but management in this borderline zone warrants shared decision-making. Solitary plasmacytoma as sitting betwee…","meta_description":"In this episode, Raj, Ashwin, and Eddie sit down with Dr. Vincent Rajkumar — Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic and Chair of the ECOG Myeloma Committee…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3126,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/blood-cancer-talks-5570002/episodes/episode-71-management-of-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma-with-dr-vincent-rajkumar/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/blood-cancer-talks-5570002/episode-71-management-of-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma-with-dr-vincent-rajkumar.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}