A Phase 2 trial of Hycamtin, cyclophosphamide, and melphalan showed that the drug combination is a safe and effective treatment regimen for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma or patients in first remission. The combination, followed by stem cell transplantation, resulted in an overall response rate of 85 percent and a four-year overall survival rate of 66 percent, making this drug combination comparable in efficacy to treatment with melphalan alone.

High-dose melphalan (Alkeran) is the standard conditioning treatment for multiple myeloma patients who will receive an autologous stem cell transplant. …