Sikander Ailawadhi, MD
Associate Professor in the division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Dr. Sikander Ailawadhi is associate professor in the division of Hematology Oncology department of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a hematology oncologist who specializes in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (WM).
Early on in his medical career, Dr. Ailawadhi took keen interest in why many patient profiles from different racial subgroups seemed to get different treatments and have different outcomes related to multiple myeloma. His observations led to deeper research where he strives to mitigate myeloma disparities in drug use or access to boost survival of certain subsets of patients.
Dr. Ailawadhi received Delhi University College of Medical Sciences. He went on to complete his fellowship at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo.
Video Appearances
Does Treatment Adherence in Myeloma Impact Outcomes?
Program bullet points:
Myeloma Treatment: stay on regimen long enough for deepest response is important
Treatment Adherence: a known issue in multiple myeloma and many cancers
Treatment Duration: likely to do better with - right treatment, for right duration along with deep response
2020 Shaping Up To Be Big Year for Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Program bullet points:
Myeloma Treatment: Earlier effective treatment for a deep response to keep disease quiet
New Drugs: 2020 to be a big year for new myeloma treatment
Encouraging Data: News at ASH 2019 reveals CD-38 marker can be targeted repeatedly
ASH 2019: Disparities Around Accessing Health Technology Revealed for a Subset of Myeloma Patients
Program bullet points:
Health Disparities: Significant number of minority patients unaware of medical record access
Burden of Disease: African Americans and Hispanics get treatment later than Whites; costs tends to be higher for minority patients
Encouraging News: Subset of myeloma patients unaware of electronic medical records, eager to learn about electronic medical records if language was not an issue.
African Americans: More frequently diagnosed with myeloma later stage, at a younger age
Need: Educate patients, educate providers. Patients need to be their own advocates and ask for an opinion in order to get to the right expert care