Upfront therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients should be risk-adapted and individualized, according to Dr. Vincent Rajkumar from the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Rajkumar presented his opinions about upfront therapy for myeloma during an education session at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). During his presentation, he reviewed the induction treatment options for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and dis­cussed his opinions of the various options.

Induction therapy refers to the initial treatment given …

Interim results from three clinical trials suggest that MLN9708, as a single agent or in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid and dexa­meth­a­sone, may be an effective and well tolerated treat­ment for both pre­vi­ously untreated multiple myeloma patients and patients with re­lapsed or refractory disease.

Findings from the three trials were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago earlier this month.

According to Dr. Irene Ghobrial from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, who presented a …

Results of a small German study indicate that the combination regimen of Velcade, Treanda, and prednisone is effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with kidney impairment.

The majority of patients showed improved kidney function after treatment. The study investigators point out that patients responded rapidly, which may have prevented the development of irreversible kidney failure.

Based on their findings, the investigators recommend that the combination therapy be investigated further in larger clinical trials.

Impaired kidney function …

Multiple myeloma patients receiving an infusion of their own stem cells either one day or two days after undergoing treatment with high-dose melphalan demonstrate similar clinical outcomes, according to a recent U.S. study.

The study investigators conclude that a day of rest between treatment with melphalan and stem cell infusion appears not to be necessary.  Based on their findings, they recommend that melphalan administration the day before stem cell infusion should be considered as standard of care.

According to Dr. …

The results of a recent retrospective analysis show that whole-body CT scans are superior to x-rays in the detection of bone lesions in multiple myeloma patients.

Dr. Kelechi Princewill from the University of Maryland in Baltimore presented these findings at the American Roentgen Ray Society annual meeting  in Vancouver, Canada, earlier this month.

“Low-dose, whole-body CT was significantly better than [x-rays] in detecting lesions in the spine, ribs, sternum, and flat bones,” said Dr. Princewill.

Bone destruction is a common …

The results of a recent analysis suggest that the dosage of re-infused lymphocytes during an autologous stem cell transplant does not affect relapse or survival rates in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.

“These findings would seem to indicate that, in the context of upfront autologous stem cell transplantation, the proportion of the lymphocytes re-infused is not associated with outcome. In the salvage setting, further analysis needs to be done,” said Dr. Laura Percy of University College London and lead investigator …

Study Reveals Genetic Differences Between MGUS And Multiple Myeloma – In a recent study, Spanish researchers identified chromosomal abnormalities that were more frequent in patients with active mutiple myeloma than in patients with smoldering myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a condition that may later progress to smoldering or active myeloma. The researchers also found that chromosomal abnormalities tend to be more frequent in active myeloma patients than in smoldering myeloma patients, and also more frequent in smoldering …