Articles tagged with: Donor Stem Cell Transplant
News»
Results from a small German study indicate that a stem cell transplant using the patient’s own cells, followed by a transplant using cells from a donor, may improve the prognosis of multiple myeloma patients with high-risk chromosomal abnormalities.
Patients in the study who had high-risk chromosomal abnormalities had similar rates of molecular remission, which is a more stringent form of a complete response, and progression-free survival as patients without high-risk chromosomal abnormalities.
According to the German researchers, their findings show that patients with high-risk chromosomal abnormalities can achieve long-term remission.
However, the …
Opinion»
One of the big things that you hear about with any transplant, but especially with the allogeneic (donor transplant), is that it is critical to get past the first 100 days.
Whenever friends would ask after my transplant when I could relax a little about going out, eating, and life in general, the answer was always, “After the first 100 days.”
I recently passed the famous 100-day mark.
I have to tell you, I didn’t hear any trumpets go off or notice any marching bands. It turns out, in fact, that for …
NewsFlash »
Researchers Observe High Rate Of Osteonecrosis Of The Jaw In Myeloma Patients After Stem Cell Transplantation – In a recent retrospective study, German researchers observed a high rate of osteonecrosis of the jaw (23 percent) in multiple myeloma patients who had a stem cell transplant prior to bisphosphonate therapy. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a condition that is associated with a loss of blood supply to the jaw, causing the jawbone tissue to die. It can occur in multiple myeloma patients during bisphosphonate treatment. The researchers found that the risk for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw was significantly higher for patients with rheumatism and recent dental work. In addition, the researchers found that higher rates of osteonecrosis of the jaw were associated with the duration of bisphosphonate therapy as well as the type and cumulative dose of bisphosphonate used. For more information, please see the study in the journal Onkologie (abstract).
Study Finds Late Relapses After Donor Transplantation In Myeloma – Results of a small, long-term follow-up study show that late relapses are possible in multiple myeloma patients after donor stem cell transplantation with reduced-intensity chemotherapy. At a median follow-up time of 9.8 years, the seven-year progression-free survival rate was 31 percent and the overall survival rate was 60 percent. Ten percent of patients relapsed within 6 to 12 years after the transplant, which the researchers described as surprising. The researchers found that being in remission at the time of the transplant and having chronic graft-versus-host disease, a common transplant-related complication, in which the donor cells recognize the patient cells as foreign and attack them, were associated with improved overall survival. For more information, please see the study in the British Journal of Haematology (abstract).
LLS Teleconference On Stem Cell Transplantation – On December 3, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will sponsor a free teleconference call about stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma and lymphoma. Dr. Edward Stadtmauer from the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Jonathan Friedberg from the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester will lead the program, which begins at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Dr. Stadtmauer and Dr. Friedberg will speak about the role of stem cell transplantation in myeloma and lymphoma, the key research topics for stem cell transplantation, and side effect management and other quality of life issues. For more information or to register, please see the LLS website.
News»
The results of a recent retrospective study show that multiple myeloma patients who receive a donor stem cell transplant upfront experience better progression-free survival and overall survival compared to patients who receive a donor transplant after relapse or disease progression.
Additionally, the study investigators found that having a related stem cell donor and achieving a complete response after the transplant led to better outcomes. On the other hand, treatment with novel agents prior to the transplant had no effect on survival.
“We have once again confirmed that the benefit from allogeneic [donor] …
News»
Results from a large, retrospective study conducted at City of Hope National Medical Center indicate that patients who receive stem cell transplants are at a higher risk of developing heart disease than the general population.
The researchers found that patients who underwent a donor transplant and developed graft-versus-host disease, a common transplant-related complication, were at the greatest risk of developing heart disease.
“Our findings show that the process of receiving a stem cell transplant alone increases a recipient’s risk of developing heart disease,” said the study’s lead investigator Dr. Saro Armenian from …
Opinion»
It is now day 60 following my donor (allogeneic) stem cell transplant, and I wanted to give an update on how it has gone and what is in store.
As with an autologous (self) stem cell transplant, everyone talks about the first 100 days as the critical period. This is true even more so with the donor transplant.
As I mentioned in my last column about my transplant, the intensity of the treatment, the need for close monitoring, and the number of things that can go wrong seems much greater with …
NewsFlash »
Subcutaneous Velcade Receives Approval In Europe For Multiple Myeloma – Janssen-Cilag, the company that markets Velcade (bortezomib) in Europe, announced on Friday that the European Medicines Agency has granted marketing authorization of subcutaneous Velcade. The decision was based on results of a Phase 3 study demonstrating that subcutaneous Velcade is as effective as intravenous Velcade but associated with fewer and less serious side effects. Europe is the third region where subcutaneous Velcade is now available; both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada approved the use of subcutaneous Velcade for myeloma in their respective countries earlier this year. For more information, see the press release from Janssen-Cilag or the Phase 3 results published in the journal Hematologica (abstract).
Methyljasmonate Shows Activity Against Multiple Myeloma – Results from a recent preclinical study suggest that methyljasmonate, a compound produced by plants under stressful conditions, may be active against multiple myeloma. Previous studies have shown that a related family of plant compounds called jasmonates can kill various types of cancer cells. In the current study, researchers found that methyljasmonate was able to kill myeloma cells lines and myeloma cells from patient samples at concentrations that did not affect normal stem cells. In mice that carried diffuse multiple myeloma lesions, a combination of methyljasmonate and Velcade prolonged overall survival time more than either drug alone. For more information, please see the study in the British Journal of Hematology (abstract).
Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial To Study Rapamune-Hydroxychloroquine Combination In Relapsed And Refractory Myeloma Patients – The Knight Cancer Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University is starting a Phase 1 trial of Rapamune (sirolimus or rapamycin) and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) in combination with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and dexamethasone (Decadron) in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. Myeloma patients must have received at least one prior therapy to be able to participate in the trial. Rapamune belongs to the same class of drugs as Torisel (temsirolimus) and Afinitor (everolimus) called mTor inhibitors; it is currently approved for the prevention of kidney rejection. Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent and treat malaria and to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Both agents have been studied in preclinical studies for multiple myeloma. For more information, please see the clinical trial description.
Donor Stem Cell Transplants May Be More Effective But Less Safe Than Autologous Transplants As Second Transplant For Myeloma Patients – Results from a recent retrospective analysis show that allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplants may be more effective but less safe than autologous (self) stem cell transplants in myeloma patients who have already received an autologous transplant. The analysis included data from 1,192 patients who received two autologous transplants and 630 patients who received one autologous transplant followed by a donor transplant. Patients in the auto/donor group received reduced-intensity chemotherapy after the autologous transplant, in preparation for the donor transplant. The results showed that patients in the auto/donor group were 1.4 times more likely than patients in the auto/auto group to achieve a complete response. However, auto/donor patients had a 3.3-fold higher risk of treatment-related death than auto/auto counterparts. Overall survival and progression-free survival were comparable between both groups of patients. For more information, please refer to the study in Bone Marrow Transplantation (abstract).
