[Karen]

Empliciti, Revlimid, and dex - light chains increasing

by Karen on Fri Jul 01, 2016 9:27 am

Hi everyone,

I've been on Empliciti (elotuzumab), Revlimid, and dexamethasone since February, and I'm concerned that it is not working. I'd been on Velcade maintenance post-transplant since the fall of 2014; in January of 2016 the kappa light chain numbers started to rise out of the normal range. My doctor suggested this new drug plus the dex and Revlimid.

I had been on Revlimid before when I was first diagnosed (in 2011) as part of a clinical trial. This we eventually stopped because it seemed I wasn't responding any longer to the Revlimid (at that time, my dose had been dropped from 25 mg to 10 mg, so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it.) I'm taking 25 mg of Revlimid now.

I'm getting 20 mg of dex via infusion instead of the usual 40 mg because I have so many side effects from the larger dose.

When I first started this new treatment, the kappa numbers did slowly drop, but never back into the normal range. The last two sets of blood work have shown an increase, and this month it actually doubled from the previous month (from 4.08 to 8.28; the k/l ratio went from 6.58 to 12. 74.) This has pretty much coincided with my doctor switching me from a once-a-week infusion (I had that for 8 weeks) to every other week.

I'm seeing my doctor next week but would be interested in hearing from anyone else who's gone through this. I'm sure we'll discuss options, just not sure how to figure out which of these drugs isn't working since there are three of them, and if it's worth increasing dosages, frequency of treatment, or just giving up on this completely and trying something else.

I'm feeling discouraged since I had high hopes for this brand-new drug.

[guyramon]

Re: Empliciti, Revlimid, and dex - light chains increasing

by guyramon on Sat Jul 09, 2016 1:57 pm

I, too, am looking for someone who has some experience with elotuzumab, which is approved to take with Revlimid and dex.

My induction treatment was 6 cycles of Cytoxan, Velcade, and dex (VCD) in 2015. The VCD was very effective, but did not last very long. My M-spike held at 0 for a few months. I restarted the VCD as my M-spike started rising above 0.5 g/dL. But it it continues to rise, so my doctor wants me to try the elotuzumab. Reading the Empliciti material at the drug's website is a bit scarey, so I am looking for some patient experience.

Good luck and thanks. Guy

[Janet1520]

Re: Empliciti, Revlimid, and dex - light chains increasing

by Janet1520 on Sun Jul 10, 2016 4:34 pm

I have been on Empliciti (elotuzumab) with Revlimid, Velcade, and dex as part of a trial for newly diagnosed high-risk multiple myeloma patients. I have been on this protocol since May 2014 and am currently in the maintenance phase. I have not had a stem cell transplant. I have had good results with minimal side effects.