Articles tagged with: Dexamethasone

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[ by | Aug 4, 2009 4:34 pm | Comments Off ]
Perifosine Advances To Phase 3 Multiple Myeloma Clinical Trial

The U.S. Food and Drug Admin­istra­tion has approved a Phase 3 clin­i­cal trial eval­u­ating perifosine in re­lapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. Perifosine, also known as KRX-0401, is an oral anti-cancer agent being devel­oped by Aeterna Zentaris and licensed in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by Keryx Bio­pharma­ceuticals.

The trial, entitled “A Phase 3 Randomized Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Perifosine Added to the Combination of Bortezomib and Dexamethasone in Multiple Myeloma Patients Previously Treated with Bortezomib,” will eval­u­ate the safety and efficacy of perifosine, com­pared to placebo, when …

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[ by | Jul 24, 2009 8:48 am | One Comment ]
Anti-DKK1 Antibody As New Treatment For Myeloma Bone Disease

A new study appearing in the July 9 issue of Blood discussed a potential therapeutic treatment that focuses on osteoblasts, the cells responsible for bone formation.

Myeloma patients commonly have high serum DKK1 levels, which may decrease with response to therapy for myeloma. DKK1, an important regulator of bone formation, has previously been associated with bone disease in cancers of the esophagus, lungs, prostate, and colon. However, DKK1 has recently emerged as a therapeutic target for suppressed bone formation. The study analyzed the effect of an antibody that neutralizes DKK1, called

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[ by | Jul 11, 2009 6:23 pm | Comments Off ]
Quality Of Life Warrants More Consideration In Multiple Myeloma Treatment Recommendations

Researchers have announced that current clinical treatment guidelines do not adequately incorporate quality of life considerations and are calling for increased attention to the “patient perspective” in myeloma treatment.. Presently, few studies have examined quality of life issues. For those that have, their results have often failed to have a meaningful effect on clinical decision-making.

A study in the European Journal of Haematology identified 15 high-quality clinical trials since 1990 that included quality of life as a principal focus. These studies examined the impact of various myeloma treatments and therapeutic interventions on …

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[ by | Jul 8, 2009 11:02 am | Comments Off ]

Celgene Files For Approval Of Revlimid In Japan – On July 7, Celgene announced that it filed a New Drug Application (NDA) for Revlimid (lenalidomide) with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.  The application seeks approval for the use of Revlimid in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) for myeloma patients who have received at least one previous therapy. The filing is based on the results of two large Phase 3 trials from 2007 that demonstrated the efficacy of this treatment regimen. Phase 1 trials with Japanese patients show similar results and also support the NDA. Revlimid is approved in almost 50 countries for the treatment of multiple myeloma. For more information, please visit the Celgene press release.

99th Annual Wamp Swim-a-Thon – On July 18, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is sponsoring a swim-a-thon to benefit the Jeffrey R. Stafford fund at the IMF, used to benefit patients suffering from multiple myeloma. Currently, participants have raised around $100,000 and produced three research grants to aid in research about multiple myeloma.  The fund is in honor of Jeffrey Stafford, who was diagnosed with myeloma in 2001. For more information, please visit the IMF Web site.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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[ by | Jun 17, 2009 1:49 pm | Comments Off ]
Velcade Plus Dexamethasone Produces Robust, Yet Short-Lived, Response In Myeloma Patients

The European Journal of Haematology has announced that researchers have found a Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Decadron) combination is highly effective in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. The study authors caution, however, that the treatment responses appear relatively short-lived.

In the present study, 70 relapsed or refractory myeloma patients–that is, patients whose disease has not responded to previous therapies–received either Velcade alone or a Velcade-dexamethasone combination. The treatments were not equally divided, however, and 87 percent of the patients received the combination therapy.

During treatment, 59 percent of patients …

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[ by | Jun 9, 2009 1:11 am | Comments Off ]
Study Shows Acute Kidney Failure Can Be Reversed By Velcade-Dexamethasone-Doxorubicin In Multiple Myeloma

A recent Phase 2 study, presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting, showed that a regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), dexamethasone (Decadron), and doxorubicin (Adriamycin), or VDD, resulted in improved kidney impairment in multiple myeloma patients.

Multiple myeloma patients often face kidney complications including acute light chain induced renal failure (ARF). ARF is a serious complication that can lead to permanent kidney dysfunction and reliance on continual hemodialysis. A normal kidney produces urine for excretion but reabsorbs proteins so they do not leave the body. Anti-myeloma therapy that prevents …

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[ by | Jun 8, 2009 1:16 pm | Comments Off ]
Total Therapy Emerges As Prospect For Multiple Myeloma Cure

At the Second International Congress on Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma, recently held in Istanbul, Turkey, researchers summarized the clinical results of Total Therapy trials. Total Therapy, which combines multiple-drug regimens with stem cell transplants, represents significant progress in the fight against myeloma, and its high success rates hold promise for an eventual cure.

In the Total Therapy 1 (TT1) trial, patients received chemotherapy drug regimens of VAD, CTX (cyclophosphamide), and EDAP, as well as the chemotherapeutic agent melphalan (Alkeran), to destroy cancer cells in preparation for stem cell transplant. After undergoing …

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