Articles tagged with: Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
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Every-Other-Day G-CSF Is Just As Effective As Daily G-CSF – Results from a recent Turkish study indicate that every-other-day administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is just as effective as daily administration following stem cell transplantation. Additionally, every-other-day administration was found to be safe and resulted in a significant reduction in drug costs, according to the investigators. The study included 47 patients with lymphoma or myeloma who underwent a stem cell transplant. Half of the patients received G-CSF every day, while the other half received G-CSF every other day, after stem cell transplantation until their white blood cell counts recovered. The researchers found that the frequency of G-CSF administration did not affect the amount of time until white blood cell counts recovered. There also were no significant differences in hospitalization time, rates of infection, and transfusion requirements in patients who received daily G-CSF compared to every other day G-CSF. For more information, please see the study in Transfusion and Apheresis Science (abstract).
Partial Deletion Of Chromosome 8 May Be Common In Multiple Myeloma – Results from a small French study indicate that it is common for multiple myeloma patients to have myeloma cells that are missing part of chromosome 8. Specifically, the study investigators found that among 37 myeloma patients, 22 percent had myeloma cells that were missing a region of the short arm of chromosome 8 (technically called 8p21.3 deletion). This chromosomal region contains the DNA that is used to make proteins called TRAIL receptors. These receptors play an important role in cell death. When their corresponding chromosomal region is missing, the cell cannot make TRAIL receptors, and abnormal growth of the cells occurs. The researchers found that most of the patients who had the chromosome 8 deletion also had other chromosomal abnormalities commonly associated with myeloma. For more information, please see the study in Medical Oncology (abstract).
Hepatitis B Infection May Impact Survival Of Myeloma Patients Who Receive Stem Cell Transplants – Results of a retrospective Chinese study found that myeloma patients who also have hepatitis B typically have shorter survival following stem cell transplantation, compared to myeloma patients who do not have hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver that can cause damage and scarring to the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure. The study included 70 myeloma patients, 34 of whom also had hepatitis B. After stem cell transplantation using their own stem cells, the three-year overall survival rates were 35 percent for those who also had hepatitis B and 85 percent for those who did not have hepatitis B. The researchers suggest that hepatitis B antiviral treatment may reduce the negative impact hepatitis appears to have on survival. For more information, see the study in Tumor Biology (abstract).
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Results of a retrospective British study add to the body of research indicating that a second stem cell transplant can be effective salvage therapy for certain relapsed multiple myeloma patients.
The British researchers found that patients who achieved a long remission after their first transplant were more likely to have a long remission after their second transplant. This finding has been seen in previous research on the issue (see related Beacon news articles 1, 2, and 3).
The British investigators also found signs that treatment with Velcade (bortezomib) …
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Results from a small German study indicate that a stem cell transplant using the patient’s own cells, followed by a transplant using cells from a donor, may improve the prognosis of multiple myeloma patients with high-risk chromosomal abnormalities.
Patients in the study who had high-risk chromosomal abnormalities had similar rates of molecular remission, which is a more stringent form of a complete response, and progression-free survival as patients without high-risk chromosomal abnormalities.
According to the German researchers, their findings show that patients with high-risk chromosomal abnormalities can achieve long-term remission.
However, the …
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Findings from a retrospective study of stem cell transplantation among U.S. and Canadian multiple myeloma patients show that the technique has become more common in the past 15 years.
In addition, the outcomes associated with the procedure have improved over time.
“There was progressively improved survival for multiple myeloma patients managed with autologous stem cell transplantation as an initial therapy,” said Dr. Luciano Costa from the Medical University of South Carolina, who presented the results at the American Society for Hematology (ASH) annual meeting last month.
“Stem cell transplants have also remained …
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Fewer Injection Site Reactions With Subcutaneous Velcade Administered To The Abdomen Instead Of The Thigh - Japanese researchers recently found that subcutaneous (under the skin) injections of Velcade (bortezomib) in the abdomen cause fewer injection site reactions compared to injections in the thigh. According to the Japanese researchers, the higher rates seen with injections to the thigh may be because the thigh contains less fat tissue than the abdomen. Based on their findings, they recommend administering subcutaneous Velcade to the abdomen, particularly in the case of thin patients. For more information, please see the study in The European Journal of Haematology (abstract).
Cereblon Levels May Affect Effectiveness Of Thalidomide – Results of a European retrospective analysis indicate that levels of the protein cereblon in patients’ myeloma cells may impact the efficacy of thalidomide (Thalomid). The researchers found that newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with high cereblon levels who received thalidomide maintenance had longer progression-free survival times than those with low cereblon levels. The researchers did not observe any association between cereblon levels and the effectiveness of Velcade maintenance therapy. Previous studies have shown that cereblon is necessary for the immunomodulatory drugs -- particularly Revlimid (lenalidomide) and pomalidomide -- to be effective against multiple myeloma (see related Beacon news article). For more information, please see the study in the journal Blood (abstract).
Latest Findings Show Kepivance May Not Decrease Mouth Ulcers In Myeloma Patients Undergoing High-Dose Chemotherapy – In contrast to previous findings, results from a recent Dutch study show that Kepivance (palifermin) has no effect on mouth ulcers in multiple myeloma receiving high-dose melphalan (Alkeran) prior to stem cell transplantation using their own stem cells. In the Dutch study, patients who received Kepivance had similar rates of mouth ulcers as patients who received a placebo. For more information, please see the study in the journal Bone Marrow Transplant (abstract).
Study Finds Association Between Myeloma And Certain Occupations – Results of another European analysis suggest that farmers, cleaning workers, and, to a certain extent, printers have an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma. The European researchers also found that pesticide exposure over a period of 10 years or more increased the risk of developing multiple myeloma. For more information, please see the study in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology (pdf, full text).
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We continue to report the latest myeloma-related findings from this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting, which has come to a close in Atlanta. Yesterday was the third day of the meeting and featured the most myeloma-related presentations in a given day.
Yesterday, there were nearly 50 myeloma-related talks given during 11 oral presentation sessions. The Beacon will therefore summarize presentations from the four most important sessions in updates such as this one.
This update covers presentations from the third of the four key oral presentation sessions. Updates published yesterday …
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Yesterday was the second day of the 2012 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting. Although the myeloma-related sessions got a bit of a late start, the day featured a wide range of interesting presentations about multiple myeloma.
Many myeloma-related oral presentations were given in the afternoon and were summarized in updates published yesterday and earlier today.
During the evening yesterday, a poster session took place where important new research findings were summarized in posters displayed throughout a large conference hall. The studies covered a variety of myeloma-related topics, ranging …
