Significant advances have been made in the treatment of multiple myeloma since the introduction of thalidomide (Thalomid), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and Velcade (bortezomib). Combinations of these “novel agents” have significantly improved response rates and survival rates with better safety profiles than stem cell transplants, leading researchers and patients to ask whether the use of transplants is necessary given the efficacy of the novel agents.

Two studies that are investigating whether novel agents are as effective, or possibly more effective, than an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) were presented June …

Advances in the development of multiple myeloma drugs have had a profound impact on the way the disease is treated. Given the efficacy and relative safety of these novel agents, studies are being conducted to determine whether they may be as effective, or possibly even more effective, than an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Two such studies were presented June 6 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.

Results from the two studies suggest that ASCT (in which a patient’s own stem cells are transplanted after …

Revlimid (lenalidomide) is an effective maintenance therapy after stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma patients, according to two Phase 3 studies presented on Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Based on the results of these two studies as well as a previous study, Revlimid maintenance therapy is likely to become a common addition to the treatment of myeloma.

Dr. Sergio Giralt of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston led a discussion about these two studies during which he said, “[These are] …

The third day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 annual meeting in Chicago was tailor-made for morn­ing people interested in mul­ti­ple myeloma.  The key myeloma-related activity on Sunday, June 6 was a morn­ing abstract session start­ing at 9:30 a.m.  Nine abstracts were pre­sented and discussed over the course of three hours.

The first two pre­sen­ta­tions dealt with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib)-related re­search.

Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the Uni­ver­sity of Turin pre­sented the re­­sults of the first study.  It com­pared two regi­mens for the treat­ment of newly diag­nosed elderly myeloma patients.  The first regi­men in­volved …

The protein elafin may be a good indicator of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) in patients who underwent an allogeneic stem cell transplant. These findings were published recently in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Stem cell transplantation is the preferred treatment plan for multiple myeloma patients under the age of 65. When patients cannot produce enough of their own healthy stem cells for an autologous transplant, they undergo an allogeneic transplant, in which they receive stem cells from a donor.

A common complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, graft-versus-host disease, occurs when the body’s immune …

A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that the combination therapy of Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide (Thalomid), and dexamethasone (Decadron), commonly referred to as VTD, was successful at improving response and eliminating residual cancer cells in multiple myeloma patients after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).

In ASCT, the patients’ own stem cells that were collected before high-dose chemotherapy are transplanted back into the patients. Most myeloma patients retain a small number of cancerous cells in their blood and bone marrow after ASCT. These cells are a major …

A new study indicates that a short-course treatment with Kepivance (palifermin) prior to high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation may be sufficient to decrease mouth ulcers and the supportive care required by multiple myeloma patients after a stem cell transplant.

In multiple myeloma patients under the age of 65, high-dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant is the preferred and most effective treatment option. However, the high dose of chemotherapy often causes severe side effects such as oral mucositis, which occurs when the mucous lining inside the mouth becomes inflamed …