Early Detection of Multiple Myeloma to Fight Cancer Disparities: A Screening and Patient Navigation Program

Early Detection of Multiple Myeloma to Fight Cancer Disparities: A Screening and Patient Navigation Program

Early Detection of Multiple Myeloma to Fight Cancer Disparities: A Screening and Patient Navigation Program

This project will pilot the expansion of the existing Taussig Outreach Program's community outreach and patient navigation model to study the multiple myeloma (MM) screening program. This involves analyzing community reception, screening program methods, reasons patients decided to participate, reasons patients declined participation, and participant views and attitudes. This study also aims to gauge the current and general understanding of MM. This study seeks to recruit participants in the pilot screening program to promote early detection. Participants who have abnormal results will receive patient navigation for further diagnostics and testing.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a hematologic cancer of antibody-producing plasma cells. Multiple Myeloma is always preceded by a pre-malignant condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) or smoldering multiple myeloma. Despite multiple therapeutic advances, there remains no cure for multiple myeloma. The disease is treated and monitored throughout a person's lifetime. This is why screening for early detection of this disease is important; however, MGUS and smoldering multiple myeloma are only diagnosed when they are found incidentally on labs during tests for unrelated symptoms. There are no current universal screening guidelines for MM. Among those who may benefit from MM screenings include African American/Black individuals, as it is twice as common in this population compared to Caucasian/White individuals. This study aims to develop a screening program specifically targeting underserved African American/Black individuals. This project will expand the existing Taussig Community Outreach screening program to include screening for multiple myeloma.

Participants will partake in a multiple myeloma screening program. The screening involves a blood sample and the completion of a questionnaire to gauge participants' multiple myeloma knowledge.

Participants will complete two questionnaires to share their attitudes toward their screening experience and completion of knowledge questions to gauge community reception and participant multiple myeloma knowledge.

To conduct and evaluate a study that incorporates patient navigation programs to recruit and screen participants for Multiple Myeloma and its disease precursors, MGUS or smoldering MM

The goal is to leverage the existing model of community outreach and patient navigation to study the MM screening program, including community reception, screening program methods, reasons patients decided to participate, reasons patients declined participation, and participant views and attitudes. This will be measured by the overall community reception of this screening being offered.

To conduct and evaluate a study that incorporates patient navigation programs to recruit and screen participants for Multiple Myeloma and its disease precursors, MGUS or smoldering MM

The goal is to leverage the existing model of community outreach and patient navigation to study the MM screening program, including community reception, screening program methods, reasons patients decided to participate, reasons patients declined participation, and participant views and attitudes. This will be measured by participant questionnaires detailing their attitudes toward, and experience, of the screening.

Participants will gain knowledge about Multiple Myeloma from the time of the screening to the time of follow-up one week or more after the screening. This will be measured by examining the difference in participant post-screening questionnaire results.

Inclusion Criteria: Participant self-identifying as, or perceived as, Black and/or African-American 50 years of age or older Exclusion Criteria: Participants who do not self-identify as Black and/or African American Under the age of 50 years