The combination regimen of Revlimid (lenalidomide), melphalan (Alkeran), prednisone, and thalidomide (Thalomid), abbreviated RMPT, is an active and safe therapy for multiple myeloma patients who have relapsed or who are resistant (refractory) to previous myeloma treatment. The findings were published recently in the journal Leukemia.

Although melphalan-prednisone (MP) combination has been a standard therapy in multiple myeloma for the last thirty years, the introduction of novel agents, such as Revlimid, thalidomide and Velcade, has significantly improved response rates and extended remission in patients with refractory and relapsed …

For multiple myeloma patients, treatment history and personal predisposition have been identified as two key factors that may predict if a patient treated with Velcade (bortezomib) or thalidomide (Thalomid) will develop tingling and pain from nerve damage in their limbs.

Thalidomide and Velcade are among the many myeloma treatments that are neurotoxic, which means that they cause damage to the body’s nervous system. As a result, multiple myeloma patients commonly experience tingling and pain from nerve damage in their extremities as a side effect of treatment – this is called …

An expert panel of European hematologists has published guidelines for treating newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with thalidomide (Thalomid) in addition to melphalan (Alkeran) and prednisone. The guidelines are intended to help physicians and patients manage the side effects commonly associated with thalidomide treatment.

For the last four decades, the standard front-line therapy for newly diagnosed myeloma patients who are ineligible for stem cell transplantation has been a combination regimen of melphalan and prednisone (MP). However, the results from five Phase 3 clinical trials have indicated that the addition …

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 …

The combination therapy of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone (Decadron), commonly referred to as CTD, is effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, according to a new study published in the journal Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia. Patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after CTD therapy had higher success rates and longer survival.

Currently, thalidomide plus dexamethasone is one of the standard treatments for newly diagnosed myeloma patients. However, this treatment is associated with a high rate of blood clotting in the deep veins …

Exposure to prior myeloma therapies, specifically thalidomide (Thalomid) and autologous stem cell transplants (ASCT), does not influence the superior efficacy of Velcade (bortezomib) compared to dexamethasone (Decadron) in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma, according to an analysis published in the British Journal of Haematology.

Researchers had previously found that Velcade resulted in a better response rate, time to progression, and overall survival compared to dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory myeloma patients. Based on these results, Velcade has become one of the standard treatments for relapsed/refractory myeloma patients.

Previous trial results had also shown …

The survival time of a multiple myeloma patient is strongly dependent on the patient’s age at diagnosis, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study, which evaluated the impact of age on disease outcome, compared the survival time (from diagnosis) between patients in different age groups and treatment regimens. Researchers also compared the life spans for patients with myeloma versus patients without myeloma.

Following diagnosis with multiple myeloma, the average survival time varies based on the type of treatment that a patient receives. For patients treated …