Articles tagged with: Dexamethasone

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[ by | Mar 2, 2012 4:26 pm | Comments Off ]
Velcade Followed By Thalidomide As Maintenance Therapy Yields Positive Initial Results

The results of a small Phase 2 study indicate that sequential mainte­nance therapy involving six months of Velcade followed by six months of thalidomide is both effective and tolerable in multiple myeloma patients who have received a stem cell transplant.

The Phase 2 trial was carried out recently at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California.

Many patients in the trial experienced peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage that causes pain and tingling in the extremities).

However, the City of Hope researchers believe a key result of their study is that …

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[ by | Feb 23, 2012 2:12 pm | 13 Comments ]
Manhattan Tales: Steroid Adventures

In my last column, I described how a couple of incidents, one on the subway and one at work, during the first few months of steroid and Revlimid (lenalidomide) treatment had given me hints that more than physical effects were going to be involved in my multiple myeloma treatments.

After five months on chemotherapy, it seemed that, while my medicines were apparently going to control the myeloma – I was approaching “very good partial response” – I could tell that the chemotherapy was having profound effects on me emotionally.

Continuing …

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[ by and | Jan 23, 2012 2:33 pm | Comments Off ]
Marizomib May Be Effective In Relapsed / Refractory Multiple Myeloma (ASH 2011)

Combined data from two recent Phase 1 clinical trials suggest that twice-weekly marizomib, with or without low-dose dexamethasone, may be effective for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Dr. David Vesole from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, who was not involved in the study, described marizomib as having “modest activity in relapsed/refractory myeloma.”

Dr. Paul Richardson from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston presented the results at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in San Diego last month.

Marizomib (NPI-0052), which is being developed by …

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[ by | Updated: Jan 18, 2012 12:02 pm | Comments Off ]
Panobinostat Combination May Be Effective In Relapsed And Velcade-Refractory Multiple Myeloma (ASH 2011)

Interim results from a Phase 2 study show that panobinostat may be clinically beneficial for certain multiple myeloma patients with advanced disease.

In the study, patients who had relapsed and were no longer responsive to Velcade-based treatments received panobinostat in combination with Velcade and dexamethasone.

Although the results generally are being viewed as favorable, “It is hard to interpret them because you don’t really know how the patients would have done with just Velcade and dexamethasone alone,” explained Dr. Leif Bergsagel, a myeloma specialist from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, in a …

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[ by and | Jan 9, 2012 3:32 pm | Comments Off ]
Revlimid-Dexamethasone Combination Delays Disease Progression In Patients With Smoldering Multiple Myeloma (ASH 2011)

The most recent results of a Spanish Phase 3 clinical trial indicate that Revlimid in combination with dexamethasone delays disease progression in smoldering multiple myeloma patients who have a high risk of developing symptomatic disease.

Specifically, the results showed that high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma patients who received Revlimid plus dexamethasone had a longer time to disease progression and better overall survival than patients who did not receive treatment.

However, the Spanish researchers acknowledged that these results should be confirmed by long-term follow-up data, especially regarding the difference in overall survival.

Dr. Ola …

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[ by | Dec 6, 2011 12:22 pm | 4 Comments ]
Initial Treatment With Cyclophosphamide, Velcade, And Dexamethasone Compares Favorably In Terms Of Response Rates And Side Effects

Results of a recent study show that newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients initially treated with a combination of cyclophosphamide, Velcade, and dexamethasone have better response rates and less severe side effects than patients treated with Revlimid-dexamethasone or cyclophosphamide-Revlimid-dexamethasone.

The survival outcomes for the patients treated with cyclophosphamide, Velcade, and dexamethasone also are promising.

However, the difference in survival rates between the three treatment regimens is not statistically significant.

This is partly because "the numbers [of patients in the study] were too small to show differences in survival,” explained Dr. Craig Reeder of the …

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[ by | Nov 14, 2011 9:45 am | Comments Off ]
Lower-Dose Thalidomide Compares Well To Higher-Dose Option In Treatment Of Advanced Myeloma Patients

Results of a  recent French study demonstrate that a lower dose of thalidomide may be as effective at treating advanced multiple myeloma as a higher dose, with the benefit of fewer side effects.

Due to the reduced side effects observed with lowered thalidomide dosages, researchers conclude that such a regimen may help to improve quality of life in these patients.

Dr. Ibrahim Yakoub-Agha from the University Hospital in Lille, France, and lead author of the study explained to The Beacon that “Given that higher doses of thalidomide are associated with increased toxicity …

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