Articles tagged with: Dexamethasone

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[ by | Feb 2, 2010 3:13 pm | 3 Comments ]
Velcade-Doxil-Dexamethasone Regimen Followed By Post-Transplant Revlimid May Be A Highly Effective Treatment For Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Patients

A combination regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), Doxil (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin), and dexamethasone (Decadron), known as the VDD regimen, followed by Revlimid (lenalidomide) after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is an effective therapy for untreated multiple myeloma patients, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Velcade is a highly active therapeutic agent in multiple myeloma patients. It suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting the enzymes that break down critical proteins in cancerous cells. Although Velcade is approved as a single agent, previous studies have suggested …

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[ by and | Feb 1, 2010 7:30 am | 3 Comments ]
Personal Perspective: Former Football Star And Young Father “Dominates” Cancer With Optimism, Information, And Support

Phil Brabbs, a software product manager and former kicker for the University of Michigan football team, was diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma the day after his 28th birthday. “At 28, looking at my son who was two, you think, ‘Will this kid ever remember me?’ It was really frightening,” he said.

“To get a cancer diagnosis when it seems like you’re doing everything right – you don’t smoke, you drink modestly, you exercise – it was quite shocking. But I don’t think it took more than a week or two for me …

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[ by | Jan 27, 2010 6:10 pm | Comments Off ]
Despite Side Effects, High-Dose Melphalan Remains The Most Effective Dosage In Preparation For Stem Cell Transplantation

The results of a recent Phase 3 clinical trial indicate that treatment with high-dose melphalan (Alkeran) prior to a stem cell transplant results in a longer period of remission for myeloma patients than treatment with reduced-intensity melphalan. The differences in remission duration were larger for patients younger than 60 years old.

Based on the significant difference in progression-free survival between the two treatment groups, the researchers concluded that high-dose (200 mg/m2) melphalan is more effective in preparing younger, medically fit multiple myeloma patients for stem cell transplants. However, reduced-intensity (100 mg/m2) …

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[ by | Jan 13, 2010 12:28 pm | One Comment ]
Celgene Plans To Seek Approval Of Revlimid As An Initial Treatment For Multiple Myeloma

Celgene Corporation, the manufacturer of Revlimid (lenalidomide), announced on Monday that the company plans to file for approval of Revlimid as a treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Celgene intends to file for regulatory approval in the United States and Europe in the second half of this year.

“Our objective is to make sure that the patients who have a fatal disease, a currently incurable disease, can take medicines that turn this into a chronic treatable disease,” said Celgene’s President and CEO Sol Barer during the announcement. “That is the mission …

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[ by | Jan 7, 2010 9:57 am | Comments Off ]
Revlimid May Be More Effective Than Thalidomide In Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

A recent study published in the journal Blood suggests that treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma with Revlimid (lenalidomide) plus dexamethasone (Decadron) may be more effective and better tolerated than the approved thalidomide (Thalomid) plus dexamethasone regimen commonly used in newly diagnosed patients.

Both Revlimid and thalidomide are considered immunomodulatory agents. This means that they work by having an affect on the immune system. Specifically, these drugs are believed to encourage a patient’s immune system to attack and destroy myeloma cells.

Thalidomide was originally developed in the …

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[ by | Jan 4, 2010 4:57 pm | Comments Off ]
Elotuzumab In Combination With Revlimid And Dexamethasone Shows Encouraging Results In Multiple Myeloma (ASH 2009)

Preliminary re­­sults from an on­go­ing Phase 1/2 clin­i­cal trial sug­gest that elotuzumab, in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) and low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron), may have po­ten­tial in the treat­ment of mul­ti­ple myeloma. The findings were pre­sented at the American Society of He­ma­tol­ogy’s 51st Annual Meeting at the beginning of last month.

Dr. Ravi Vij from the Uni­ver­sity of Washington in St. Louis, co-author of the study, remarked, “The trial showed very high rates of re­sponse when elotuzumab is given in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid.”

Elotuzumab is a new drug that is cur­rently …

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[ by | Dec 30, 2009 9:30 am | Comments Off ]
Velcade-Thalidomide-Dexamethasone Treatment Is Promising For Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (ASH 2009)

At the recent American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting, there were several presentations comparing a drug regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide (Thalomid), and dexamethasone (Decadron), abbreviated as VTD, with a drug regimen of thalidomide and dexamethasone, abbreviated as TD, in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.

Update: VTD Versus TD With Double Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

One of the ASH presentations showed that the addition of Velcade to a thalidomide-dexamethasone regimen and double autologous stem cell transplantation significantly improves the response rate in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma …

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