Contributed by
International Myeloma Foundation
STUDIO CITY, Calif. – Working alongside the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), American songwriter, actor, producer, and well-known artist Ice-T is on a mission to help raise awareness of multiple myeloma in the African American community.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the world and the most common blood cancer in African Americans. Previous studies have shown that the biology of myeloma may be different in African Americans and that they are diagnosed at a younger age (by about 5 years), as compared to white Americans.
In the U.S., 1 out of every 5 myeloma patients is African American—constituting about 20 percent of all myeloma patients. That incidence continues to grow—by 2034, it is estimated that African Americans will make up about 24 percent of newly diagnosed myeloma patients.
Even then, African Americans make up only about 8 percent of participants in cancer clinical trials and are less likely to receive Triplets, Transplants, and CAR T-cell therapy. These disparities are mostly caused by existing socioeconomic differences and barriers to healthcare access among African Americans with myeloma.
Early diagnosis of multiple myeloma is crucial to achieve favorable outcomes yet delays from symptom onset to diagnosis takes longer in African Americans. That’s why it’s so important to get the word out in the African American community to raise awareness about this lesser-known disease.
In a series of public service announcements (PSA) from the IMF, Ice-T sends out a very urgent and important message: “Multiple myeloma, it’s the most common blood cancer in African Americans, and we can’t ignore it.”
“Since African Americans are diagnosed later and don’t always get the best treatments, our community members are suffering, living half as long as typical survival outcomes. Here’s the good news: when barriers to early diagnosis and treatment are removed, African American myeloma patients do just as well, or even better than, White individuals. The time for health equity is now. With early diagnoses and proper treatment, we can defy the odds and thrive.”
“The International Myeloma Foundation’s M-Power project is leading the way. M-Power, Myeloma-Power, is a national movement, but it’s also a local movement, going city by city, taking a boots-on-the-ground approach to fight myeloma in the African American community. Whether it’s through music, art, our barbershops, food trucks, or churches, we’re raising awareness about this disease and M-Powering our community.”
When it comes to multiple myeloma, Ice-T emphasizes the importance of awareness and education: “We need to get informed and take control of our health. Knowledge is power. Get the facts. Know the signs. Know the symptoms. Talk to your doctor. Change the course of myeloma in the African American community. Visit mpower.myeloma.org.”