Can anyone tell me if they have experience with the drug combination acronym BEAM, prior to autologous stem cell transplant? Any information we should read up on, or know prior to, Dr B.?
Thanks..
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Re: BEAM
BEAM stands for BCNU, Etoposide, Ara-C, Melphalan: it has been used for a long period of time in lymphoma. It is an active regimen in myeloma as well.
At our center, we have used this in combination with Bortezomib, thalidomide, dexamethasone, in over 90 patients with relapsed disease (usually after 2 prior transplants) with reasonable tolerance.
Like other regimens used for autologous transplant, it can cause bone marrow toxicity and drop in blood counts, which will improve over a 2-3 week period with stem cell support. BCNU can also potentially cause lung toxicity, so it is key to do pulmonary function tests prior to this (this test is done prior to any transplant regimen). Other toxicities are: mucositis, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, fatigue, requirement for transfusions, electrolyte abnormalities, hair loss.
At our center, we have used this in combination with Bortezomib, thalidomide, dexamethasone, in over 90 patients with relapsed disease (usually after 2 prior transplants) with reasonable tolerance.
Like other regimens used for autologous transplant, it can cause bone marrow toxicity and drop in blood counts, which will improve over a 2-3 week period with stem cell support. BCNU can also potentially cause lung toxicity, so it is key to do pulmonary function tests prior to this (this test is done prior to any transplant regimen). Other toxicities are: mucositis, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, fatigue, requirement for transfusions, electrolyte abnormalities, hair loss.
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Dr. Bijay Nair - Name: Bijay Prabhakaran Nair, M.D.
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