Results from a Spanish Phase 3 clinical trial suggest that initial treatment with a combination of Velcade, thalidomide, and dexamethasone may lead to better responses before and after stem cell transplantation, as compared to treatment with thalidomide and dexamethasone alone. In addition, treatment with the three-drug combination increases progression-free survival time.

The study investigators concluded that their findings support the use of a combination of Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide (Thalomid), and dexamethasone (Decadron), often referred to as VTD, as initial treatment in newly diagnosed myeloma patients who are eligible for …

Today was the second day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting.  Although the day has not been as busy with myeloma-related presentations as tomorrow and Monday will be, there still were some interesting presentations and discussions.

The Beacon published an update earlier today with news from a morning poster session that featured several presentations related to multiple myeloma (see related Beacon news).

This article covers material from an early-afternoon education session that was titled: "Controversies in Myeloma: Induction, Transplant, and Maintenance."

The education session included three talks by …

Patients who do not respond at least partially to treatment with Revlimid (lenalidomide) or thalidomide (Thalomid) prior to a stem cell transplant may have significantly shorter survival times, according to a recent study published in the journal Blood.

Currently, the standard treatment plan involving stem cell transplantation begins with induction therapy, which decreases the number of abnormal cells and proteins in a patient’s bone marrow before collection of stem cells for the transplant. Next, patients undergo high-dose chemotherapy and transplantation, after which, some patients receive consolidation or maintenance therapy.

Past …

The findings of a new study suggest that a combination regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide (Thalomid), and prednisone, abbreviated as VTP, is as effective as the standard combination of Velcade, melphalan (Alkeran), and prednisone, abbreviated as VMP, in the treatment of elderly patients with multiple myeloma. The trial also discovered that the addition of maintenance therapy led to increased response rates. Researchers presented their Phase 3 study results at the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 51st annual meeting in December.

While VMP without maintenance therapy currently is one …

Preliminary results from a clinical trial designed to assess the effect of adding thalidomide (Thalomid) to induction therapy prior to autologous stem cell transplantation show that it increases response rates in both young and elderly multiple myeloma patients. These results were presented on December 7^th at the 51^st American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting.

A total of 1,970 multiple myeloma patients participated in this trial, which split patients up into two separate groups based on age. The younger patients, median age 59 years, were randomized to receive one of two induction …

At the recent ASH conference, Palumbo and colleagues presented a new induction therapy composed of bortezomib (Velcade), doxurubicin, and dexamethasone that is specifically targeted to elderly patients.

Palumbo and colleagues treated 122 …