A retrospective study conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study examined the effects of autologous stem cell transplantation after combination drug therapy in 95 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and found that transplantation improved patients' responses.

Prior to autologous stem cell transplantation, patients in the study were treated with a combination regimen of

Intas Pharmaceuticals To Market Bortezomib In India – Intas Biopharmaceuticals has recently launched Borviz (bortezomib) in India for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Bortezomib is marketed in the U.S. under the brand name Velcade. The medication is given as an intravenous injection, and the dosage is based on individual medical conditions. About 3.5 million cancer cases have been diagnosed in India and statistics show that the age of onset for multiple myeloma is decreasing from the current 65 years of …

A recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology estimated that the number of cancer patients in the United States will increase 45 percent, from 1.6 million to 2.3 million by 2030. Multiple myeloma is expected to increase 57 percent, trailing liver cancer at 59 percent and stomach cancer at 67 percent.

Dr. Benjamin Smith, adjunct assistant professor in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas, conducted the study.

Researchers used the United States’ …

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic applied risk stratification in newly diagnosed myeloma patients receiving Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone (Decadron) therapy. They found that progression-free survival was lower for high-risk patients compared with standard-risk patients.

Risk stratification examines the risk factors that lead to a reduced survival rate in patients, and it is a useful way of understanding why some treatments only work well for some patients. The scientists looked at 100 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who had …

At the XII International Myeloma Workshop (IMW), physicians presented data on new clinical trials for multiple myeloma treatment. Results from separate Phase 1 trials indicate that elotuzumab and panobinostat enhance Velcade's (bortezomib) efficacy in myeloma treatment.

Elotuzumab is an antibody that attaches to a cell surface protein called CS1, which is present in all myeloma cells but not in normal human cells. Dr. Jakubowiak, professor of hematology and oncology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, …

Meet The Experts - On April 4, Dr. Guido Triocot and Dr. Maurizio Zangari from the University of Utah School of Medicine will join Dr. Choon-Kee Lee from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to present a seminar on advancements in treating multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. The event begins at 9 a.m. at the Huntsman Cancer Institute Auditorium in Salt Lake City. For more information, visit the LLS Web site.

MMRF Race For Research - …

The National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland is expected to start considering special discounts, cash-back offers, and other cost sharing schemes offered by manufacturers of expensive pharmaceuticals.  These arrangements are likely to benefit patients with diseases such as multiple myeloma and other cancers as well as diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

With the new policy, drug companies may offer to pay for part of an expensive treatment or offer money back for drugs that fail to work. According to Kate …