A sub-analysis of recent Phase 2 clinical trial results indicates that Pomalyst in combination with low-dose dexamethasone is effective and safe in multiple myeloma patients with high-risk chromosomal ab­nor­malities who did not re­spond to prior therapy.

The findings were presented by Dr. Paul Richardson of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston at the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) in Kyoto, Japan, this past Sunday.

In the new analysis, high-risk patients were defined as those with a deletion in chromosome 17 (del17p) or the translocation t(4;14).

Although the response rates were lower and survival times shorter …

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 …

Results of a recent study suggest that high-risk multiple myeloma patients who have chromosomal abnormalities known as trisomies have better survival outcomes than high-risk patients without them.

“Our findings allow us to further trim down the proportion of patients with truly high-risk disease, thus allowing us to concentrate on those patients and improve their outcome,” said Dr. Shaji Kumar of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and lead author of the study.

Based on their results, the researchers recommended a new and more specific method of classifying myeloma patients based on their …

Newly diagnosed, high-risk multiple myeloma patients can be effectively treated with sequential therapy, according to the results of a recent Phase 2 study.  Participants in this study initially received a combination of Velcade, Doxil, and dexamethasone followed by a combination of thalidomide and dexamethasone, with the potential addition of Velcade to the second phase.

The study authors found that the sequential treatment provided rapid responses, which they said is crucial for patients with organ damage or those with advanced disease who need to quickly proceed to stem cell transplantation.

They suggested that …

Donor stem cell transplantation may be an effective treatment for myeloma patients with certain chromosomal abnormalities, according to a recent retrospective analysis of patient data conducted in France.

In particular, the analysis showed that patients with a high risk for poor prognosis - those with the chromosomal abnormalities del(17p), t(4;14), or t(14;16) - achieved similar outcomes after receiving a donor stem cell transplant as patients without these abnormalities.

“Our retrospective analysis indicates for the first time that [donor stem cell transplantation] might overcome the poor impact of del(17p),” said the study’s lead …

In a recent Phase 3 trial, a Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Decadron) combination resulted in the longest progression-free survival in multiple myeloma patients, including those at high risk. The study will be presented at the upcoming American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in New Orleans on Monday, December 7, 2009.

The trial compared the Velcade-dexamethasone combination (VD) with a vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and dexamethasone combination (VAD). As induction therapies, VD and VAD reduce the number of cancer cells in the body before a patient undergoes high-dose chemotherapy and autologous …

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic applied risk stratification in newly diagnosed myeloma patients receiving Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone (Decadron) therapy. They found that progression-free survival was lower for high-risk patients compared with standard-risk patients.

Risk stratification examines the risk factors that lead to a reduced survival rate in patients, and it is a useful way of understanding why some treatments only work well for some patients. The scientists looked at 100 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who had been given Revlimid-dexamethasone for the first treatment and examined them based on …