Dr. Jorge Castillo is a global specialist in Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM) and Clinical Director of the Bing Center for WM at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School. He captured the strong attention of WMers and caregivers from across the country as the presenter at a Waldenström breakout session during the Annual North American Educational Forum hosted by the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) in Brooklyn, New York October 20-22, 2017. LRF is the largest organization in the country dedicated to eradicating the 70 Lymphoma sub-types that it represents. It has been committed to Waldenström education, our rare disease, for many years.
Dr. Castillo, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is a masterful educator and gave a powerful, state-of-the-art presentation on “Treatment Options in Waldenström Macroglobulinemia” to WM patients. Arming patients with knowledge about WM is one of the most significant contributions Dr. Castillo can make in empowering us to become our own best health advocates. He discussed diagnostic criteria, manifestations of Waldenström, NCCN guidelines for the initiation of therapy, and several treatment options including ibrutinib, bendamustine, bortezomib and rituximab.
Also reviewed, were the now well-known MYD88 L265P and CXCR4 mutations discovered by genomic sequencing in the Bing Center Laboratory under the guidance of Bing Center Director, Dr. Steven Treon, a few years ago. Further, it is amazing that the Laboratory has since identified so many independent signaling pathways to block – a very hopeful development.
Especially welcome and inspiring topics were the improved response to treatment and the fact that WM patients are surviving longer.
The participants were extremely engaged throughout his presentation and asked questions which Dr. Castillo addressed with solid, research-based answers.
Dr. Castillo consults with almost 1,000 patients per year with 1,800 visits at the Bing Center, the largest clinic and research center dedicated to Waldenström Macroglobulinemia in the world.
With the good fortune of being his patient for four years, now, Dr. Castillo has cared for me with wonderful compassion, vigilance, and world-class expertise in my WM journey. My husband, Tony, and I are forever grateful to him.
Dr. Castillo is known internationally for his execution of groundbreaking clinical trials based at the Bing Center and is also operating on a multi-institutional basis to identify novel therapeutics for WM which advance our options more dramatically.
Dr. Castillo, you are changing the face of our future as Waldenström patients with ever more effective approaches toward securing our health. On behalf of all WMers whose lives you touch around the world, we offer our deep gratitude and sincere thanks to you for your devotion to us!
Lu Kleppinger, Ambassador
Lymphoma Research Foundation