In young patients under age 65, stem cell transplants have greatly reduced remission rates when coupled with novel therapeutic agents (thalidomide, Velcade, and Revlimid).

Unlike elderly patients, younger individuals are usually healthy enough to withstand an intensive course of high-dose chemotherapy. The chemotherapy, while a potent killer of cancerous cells, also destroys bone marrow, therefore necessitating a transplant after treatment. In conjunction with high-dose therapy and transplant, the introduction of novel agents has further improved complete remission (CR), very good partial remission (VGPR), and progression-free survival (PFS) rates. …

A recent paper compared the old and new therapies of multiple myeloma in elderly patients. Until 2007, chemotherapy with melphalan and prednisone (MP) was considered the standard treatment. However, new treatments are needed since the median survival rate with the MP regimen is only three years.

One method considered for the elderly is melphalan therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). An Italian multiple myeloma study group showed that a 100-milligram dose of melphalan followed by ASCT given twice worked better than MP in terms of response rate, event-free survival, and …

Researchers have published new results showing that patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma achieve a better response to treatment with Revlimid (lenalidomide) plus dexamethasone than to dexamethasone alone.  This finding holds for all patients, including those who have previously been treated with thalidomide (marketed as Thalomid).

The new results are based on pooled data from two randomized clinical trials involving more than seven hundred myeloma patients.  The patients had either relapsed multiple myeloma - disease that had initially responded to treatment but had begun to progress again …

Lenalidomide (initially known as CC-5013 and marketed as Revlimid by Celgene) is a derivative of thalidomide introduced in 2004. It was initially intended as a treatment for multiple myeloma, for which thalidomide is an accepted therapeutic modality, but has also shown efficacy in the hematological disorders known as the myelodysplastic syndromes. [...]

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 …

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. [...]