Researchers have achieved major strides in the treatment of multiple myeloma in the last ten years with the use of drugs such as thalidomide (marketed as Thalomid), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and Velcade (bortezomib). In conjunction with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, these various therapeutic options have increased patients’ treatment response and remission rates.

In a recent clinical trial involving Total Treatment 3 (TT3), 80% of patients who received up-front chemotherapy, transplantation, thalidomide, and Velcade achieved nearly complete remission. Of those, 90% have …

Chemotherapy, also known as anti-cancer agents or antineoplastics, is a treatment that kills cancer cells. It can be taken orally (by mouth), or intravenously (through the vein). High-risk multiple myeloma patients with advanced stages of myeloma are often treated with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy aims to suppress multiple myeloma by targeting cancer cells which characteristically grow at uncontrollable rates. Chemotherapy is toxic to cancer cells and takes effect as the cells multiply. However, chemotherapy can also eliminate healthy cells - especially ones that divide rapidly in the body. For example, cells in the lining …

Melphalan hydrochloride (trade name Alkeran) is a chemotherapy drug belonging to the class of nitrogen mustard alkylating agents. It is used primarily to treat multiple myeloma and ovarian cancer, and occasionally malignant melanoma. Otherwise known as L-Phenylalanine Mustard, or L-PAM, melphalan is a phenylalanine derivative of mechlorethamine. The agent was first investigated as a possible drug for use in melanoma. It did not work, but was found to be of use in myeloma. [...]

Doxorubicin (trade name Adriamycin) or hydroxyldaunorubicin is a drug widely used in cancer chemotherapy. It is an anthracycline antibiotic and structurally closely related to daunomycin, and also intercalates DNA. It is commonly used in the treatment of a wide range of cancers. [...]

Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid hormones. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. Its potency is about 20-30 times that of hydrocortisone and 4-5 times of prednisone. [...]

Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid drug that is usually taken orally but can be delivered by intramuscular injection and can be used for a great number of different conditions. It has a mainly glucocorticoid effect. Prednisone is a prodrug that is converted by the liver into prednisolone, which is the active drug and also a steroid. [...]

Vincristine (brand name, Oncovin), also known as leurocristine, is a vinca alkaloid from the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus, formerly Vinca rosea and hence its name). It is a mitotic inhibitor, and is used in cancer chemotherapy. [...]