Elotuzumab in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid and dexa­meth­a­sone con­tinues to show prom­ise in re­lapsed and re­frac­tory myeloma patients, ac­cord­ing to up­dated re­­sults from an on­go­ing Phase 2 clin­i­cal trial.

Response rates con­tinued to be high, par­tic­u­larly among study par­tic­i­pants re­ceiv­ing the lower elotuzumab dose.  In addi­tion, the rate of severe side effects remained low.

Dr. Philippe Moreau from the Uni­ver­sity Hospital in Nantes, France, pre­sented the re­­sults last Monday at the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology …

Results from a number of clinical trials studying car­filz­o­mib for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma were presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting last weekend.

Findings from three Phase 1/2 clinical trials showed that several carfilzomib (Kyprolis) com­bi­na­tions are effective for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. Researchers involved in each of these clinical trials presented the results during oral presentations at the ASCO meeting.

In addi­tion, early results from …

Interim results of an ongoing early-stage clin­i­cal trial indicate that dara­tu­mu­mab is safe as a treat­ment for re­lapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. In addi­tion, dara­tu­mu­mab showed promising activity in the trial par­tic­i­pants.

Dr. Torben Plesner of Vejle Hospital in Denmark presented the pre­lim­i­nary results of the Phase 1/2 study at the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on Monday.

“The efficacy [of dara­tu­mu­mab] looks very promising,” said Dr. Andrzej Jakubowiak, the director of the myeloma …

Solitary bone plasmacytoma is a plasma cell disorder characterized by the formation of a single tumor in the bone.

The tumor, also called a plasmacytoma, occurs when abnormal plasma cells originating in the bone marrow accumulate on the interior surface of the bone. However, in patients with solitary bone plasmacytoma, these malignant plasma cells are typically not present throughout the bone marrow itself or in the soft tissues surrounding the bone.

The following article provides a detailed introduction to solitary …

The results of a small Spanish study indicate that heavy/light chain ratios may be a prognostic marker for myeloma patients.

Specifically, the Spanish researchers found that multiple myeloma patients who experienced elevated heavy/light chain ratios after achieving complete remission following a stem cell transplant had longer progression-free and overall survival rates than patients who did not experience elevated heavy/light chain ratios.

According to the study investigators, these results show for the first time the association between a heavy/light chain ratio …

Delanzomib Shows High Activity Against Myeloma In Preclinical Studies – Results of pre-clinical studies indicate that delanzomib (CEP-18770) is highly active against myeloma cells. Specifically, the researchers found that delanzomib is comparable in activity to Velcade (bortezomib). Delanzomib, like Velcade, is a boronic acid-based proteasome inhibitor that suppresses cancer cell growth by inhibiting the enzymes that break down important proteins in cancer cells. The researchers also found that delanzomib inhibited tumor enzyme activity significantly more than Velcade (60 …

A group of multiple myeloma experts from the International Myeloma Working Group recently published a review of management strategies for drug-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma.

This Beacon article, the third in a three-part series, summarizes the experts’ recommendations for prevention of peripheral neuropathy as well as future steps toward better management of the condition.

The first article in the series describes peripheral neuropathy and summarizes the symptoms of drug-induced neuropathy as well as the risk …