[sfkirby]

Revlimid without dex as maintenance

by sfkirby on Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:47 pm

Everything (almost) refers to the use of dex with Revlimid as a past of a maintenance protocol . I am not on dex (no complaints, as dex caused some rough side effects for me), but is this relatively standard?

SFKirby

[terryl1]

Re: Revlimid without dex as maintenance

by terryl1 on Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:50 pm

Yes. It has now become standard to do this without the dex. Usually, it is 21 days of 10mg Revlimid in a 28 day cycle. I had 8 months of CRD (carfilzomib/rev/dex) in a clinical trial at the NIH which is now followed by two years of low dose dex. maintenance. My doctor indicated that the low dose Revlimid alone can deepen and prolong one's response, etc. Good luck.

[Nancy Shamanna]

Re: Revlimid without dex as maintenance

by Nancy Shamanna on Thu Apr 18, 2013 4:52 pm

I didn't have 'dex' either with my one year of maintenance chemo using Revlimid! Everything went well for me...didn't seem to need it then. I had already had 'dex' when doing induction chemo with Velcade. Hope that helps!

[Dr. Adam Cohen]

Re: Revlimid without dex as maintenance

by Dr. Adam Cohen on Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:07 pm

Yes, Revlimid maintenance (without dex) would be considered standard, and has been tested in 3 large randomized trials, 2 done after stem cell transplant and 1 after non-transplant induction. In all 3 trials, the use of Revlimid prolonged the time in remission compared to no maintenance, though only 1 of the 3 has shown an improvement in overall survival with maintenance. In these trials, Revlimid was given continuously at a dose of 10-15 mg per day, though in practice, many oncologists use the 3 weeks on/1 week off schedule to reduce the side effects such as low blood counts.

[bbrown687782]

Re: Revlimid without dex as maintenance

by bbrown687782 on Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:38 am

I agree with everyone's comments above. Unfortunately Revlimid alone, or with dex, did not work for me. But, this would have been the treatment suggested by my myeloma doctor and stem cell doctor.