[Hoss]

Pomalyst, melphalan, and dex treatment regimen

by Hoss on Sat Jan 30, 2016 6:16 pm

My mum was diagnosed with Primary Plasma Leukemia in Feb. 2014.

She went through 2 rounds PACE and then a stem cell transplant that was attempted but didn't work (she was not able to harvest enough stem cells for the transplant).

She was on Velcade / Revlimid / dexamethasone for 11 months, then when it stopped she was put on Pomalyst / Cytoxan / dexamethasone, which she has been on for 8 months until now.

Her lambda light chain, which is what her oncologist watches, started going up in October 2015, and they wanted to start her on Kyprolis this month.

My mum decided she didn't want to pursue Kyprolis, as it would involve 3 days a week five hours away at the cancer centre, and she just wants to be in her house, in her bed, enjoying the birds out the window.

So as a Plan B, doctors decided they would try the combo of Pomalyst / oral melphalan / and dexamethasone.

She isn't showing signs of renal failure, her creatinine is within normal range, just her urea is slightly higher then normal. Her only symptoms is rib and back pain (controlled with fentanyl patch and Dilaudid) and slightly anemic, and tired all the time.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has heard of this chemo combo or has been on it? I know melphalan has been around for a long time. What benefit would it have in suppressing plasma cell growth if Cytoxan isn't working anymore?

Thanks,
Andrea