Top Doctor
Edward N. Libby, MD
Located at
Patients and their families are amazing; the suffering they endure without complaint so that they might once again resume their normal lives motivates me endlessly to improve treatment options. To them, I say thank you for sharing your lives with me and allowing me to be your physician. I’ve also learned how far we’ve come in the battle against formidable diseases like multiple myeloma — and just how far we have to go. We need more patients to participate in clinical trials, so that we can translate discoveries in the lab to successful therapies in the clinic.
Thomas Merton, an author and Trappist monk, once wrote, “Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.” We are on this journey together, and in order for me to be there for you in a genuine and beneficial way, humility is key. Just because I understand your disease doesn’t mean I grasp how it’s affecting you personally. Just because I know the clinically recommended treatment for your condition doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you. That’s why my motto is, “Listen, listen and then listen some more.” Humility leaves room for your voice so that we can make decisions together, manage uncertainties and remain open to changing the course of treatment, if needed.
Provider background
Specialties and clinical expertise: Hematologic malignancies
I am a board-certified hematologist who specializes in treating patients with multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and other plasma cell (white blood cell) disorders. I provide daily care for patients who are newly diagnosed and those who have relapsed. I also have two decades of experience conducting clinical trials. One focus of my research is the use of monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of multiple myeloma. A targeted drug therapy, these antibodies attack myeloma cells while leaving healthy tissue intact. This class of drugs has proven effective for treating other conditions such as lymphoma, so we’re hopeful that these antibodies, when combined with other treatments, can also improve outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma.
Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare form of cancer that causes large amounts of an abnormal protein to build up in the blood. I enjoy collaborating with investigators across the country to treat patients with this disease. I am also active in researching drug therapies, such as rituximab, for the treatment of WM and other forms of lymphoma. In 2017, I was invited to present the latest clinical trial news on WM for an education forum hosted by the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation.
Diseases treated
Testimonials
Research
Clinical trials
We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by SCCA doctors. Many of these trials at SCCA have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your doctor can decide if a study is right for you.
Publications
Many of our SCCA physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this SCCA provider has written.
Your care team
Insurance
SCCA accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.
