[Christa's Mom]

Revlimid Maintenance after SCT

by Christa's Mom on Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:41 pm

EJ is finishing up his last round of Velcade/dex, and is planning on having a SCT sometime early this summer. The plan was to go on Revlimid maintenance after the SCT. Now with all the news about Revlimid maintenance, I'm a little scared, and not sure this is the best course of action.

Have any of you put off having a SCT because of the concerns over Revlimid and secondary cancers? What are your docs proposing as an alternative for maintenance? I'm concerned that if he has the SCT he is taking Revlimid out of the arsenal of drugs he has available to control the multiple myeloma which may be a negative in the long run.

Thanks.

Lyn

[Beacon Staff]

Re: Revlimid Maintenance after SCT

by Beacon Staff on Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:52 pm

Hi Lyn,

So far, there is concern about the benefits and risks of Revlimid maintenance therapy after stem cell transplantation. Some physicians feel the benefits far outweigh the risk of secondary cancer. Others feel that Revlimid should only be used as a maintenance therapy after transplantation if used in a clinical trial setting to further investigate the benefit-risk trade-off. However, there currently does not appear to be any concern about using Revlimid if a patient relapses after a stem cell transplant. No studies or data have shown an increased risk of secondary cancer in relapsed/refractory patients, even if they have had a stem cell transplant or been treated with chemotherapy. Of course, that is the current understanding, and we will have to see if any new data or concerns emerge over time.