Italian researchers have developed a vulnerability score to better assess survival in multiple myeloma patients. The score is based on the patient’s overall health and the presence of other diseases.

The investigators found that a high vulnerability score was associated with shorter overall survival in all patients, regardless of the patient’s age.

Based on their findings, the investigators recommend that the score be investigated further in larger prospective studies. If its usefulness is confirmed in these studies, the score could …

Results from a large, retrospective study conducted at City of Hope National Medical Center indicate that patients who receive stem cell transplants are at a higher risk of developing heart disease than the general population.

The researchers found that patients who underwent a donor transplant and developed graft-versus-host disease, a common transplant-related complication, were at the greatest risk of developing heart disease.

“Our findings show that the process of receiving a stem cell transplant alone increases a recipient’s risk of …

Results from a small, retrospective study indicate that combination therapy with Velcade, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone may be effective in newly diagnosed myeloma patients with kidney damage.

The findings, discussed in a letter to the editor of the European Journal of Haematology, show that kidney impairment did not worsen in any patients who received the three-drug treatment.

The study investigators also note that side effects were manageable, but recommend further research of the three-drug therapy to determine its safety as a …

GF-15 May Prevent Myeloma Growth By Disrupting Cell Division – Results from a recent German preclinical study show that the compound GF–15 disrupts the division of myeloma cells and triggers their death. Specifically, GF–15 kills myeloma cells by preventing centrosomal clustering, a technique used by cancerous cells to divide correctly. The German researchers found that GF-15 was effective in 30 percent of bone marrow samples from relapsed myeloma patients. They also found that GF–15, in combination with melphalan (Alkeran), …

Results from a retrospective Canadian study indicate that combination therapy with Revlimid, Velcade, and dexamethasone is effective for certain heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients. The findings show that nearly 50 percent of patients with advanced myeloma respond to the three-drug therapy.

The study investigators point out that although most patients with advanced myeloma progress quickly after therapy with Revlimid (lenalidomide), Velcade (bortezomib), and dexamethasone (Decadron), particularly those with high-risk myeloma, some patients experience a “considerable benefit.”

They …

Genmab and Janssen Sign License Agreement For Dara­tu­mu­mab For Multiple Myeloma – Danish bio­technology com­pany Genmab has signed a license agree­ment with Janssen Biotech Inc., a sub­sid­i­ary of Johnson & Johnson, allow­ing Janssen to further develop and mar­ket daratumumab for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma. Dara­tu­mu­mab belongs to the same class of drugs as elotuzumab and siltuximab, called mono­clonal anti­bodies. Monoclonal anti­bodies signal the body's immune sys­tem to kill myeloma cells. Dara­tu­mu­mab recently showed promising activity …

A type of test called the free light chain assay can frequently detect oligo­secretory disease in multiple myeloma patients. The findings, discussed in a letter to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, also indicate that oligosecretory myeloma is more prevalent at later stages of the disease.

Oligosecretory myeloma, along with nonsecretory myeloma, is a subset of multiple myeloma. Nonsecretory myeloma patients have no measure­able levels of monoclonal (M) protein in their urine or blood. Similarly, oligosecretory myeloma …