Articles tagged with: Thalidomide
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A new study appearing in the July 9 issue of Blood discussed a potential therapeutic treatment that focuses on osteoblasts, the cells responsible for bone formation.
Myeloma patients commonly have high serum DKK1 levels, which may decrease with response to therapy for myeloma. DKK1, an important regulator of bone formation, has previously been associated with bone disease in cancers of the esophagus, lungs, prostate, and colon. However, DKK1 has recently emerged as a therapeutic target for suppressed bone formation. The study analyzed the effect of an antibody that neutralizes DKK1, called
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The paired use of novel drug agents and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) may not be as effective as formerly believed, according to the June issue of the journal Blood.
Treatment for multiple myeloma commonly integrates high dose therapy of novel drug agents with ASCT. However, an article printed in Blood shows that initial treatment with Revlimid (lenalidomide), one of the novel drug agents, corresponds with inhibition of stem cell mobilization and collection for ASCT.
The introduction of novel drug agents, including thalidomide (Thalomid), Revlimid, and Read the full story »
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Researchers have discovered that variants in XRCC5, a DNA repair gene, are associated with greater blood clot risk during thalidomide (Thalomid) therapy. Although researchers remain unsure of the precise mechanism underlying XRCC5’s contribution to clot formation, they hope that genetic screening could one day identify high-risk patients requiring more intensive preventative intervention.
Blood clots, in particular deep vein thrombosis – which is a clot within the deep veins of the body – can be a serious and potentially fatal condition. When clots form in blood vessels, they block blood flow and …
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The Canada Border Services Agency has begun a concentrated effort to stop the smuggling of thalidomide (Thalomid) into Canada. Also, Health Canada is halting all orders and shipments of unlicensed versions of thalidomide as well as the licensed brands from Mexico and other developing countries. These measures were taken after recent news articles focused on myeloma patients smuggling low-priced thalidomide into Canada.
Despite these actions, the issue of how patients who cannot afford thalidomide are to obtain the drug remains unaddressed. Most Canadian provincial health plans do not reimburse patients …
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At the Second International Congress on Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma, recently held in Istanbul, Turkey, researchers summarized the clinical results of Total Therapy trials. Total Therapy, which combines multiple-drug regimens with stem cell transplants, represents significant progress in the fight against myeloma, and its high success rates hold promise for an eventual cure.
In the Total Therapy 1 (TT1) trial, patients received chemotherapy drug regimens of VAD, CTX (cyclophosphamide), and EDAP, as well as the chemotherapeutic agent melphalan (Alkeran), to destroy cancer cells in preparation for stem cell transplant. After undergoing …
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A retrospective study conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study examined the effects of autologous stem cell transplantation after combination drug therapy in 95 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and found that transplantation improved patients' responses.
Prior to autologous stem cell transplantation, patients in the study were treated with a combination regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and dexamethasone (Decadron) (VRD); …
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On May 31 at the 45th meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), researchers from Italy will report the results for a Phase 3 study currently comparing the combination Velcade (bortezomib)–melphalan (Alkeran)–prednisone–thalidomide (Thalomid) (VMPT) to Velcade-melphalan-prednisone (VMP) for the treatment of elderly, newly diagnosed myeloma patients.
Overall, the very good partial response rate for patients treated with VMPT was 55 percent, compared to 45 percent for those treated with VMP. After a median follow-up time of 14.5 months, the three-year progression-free survival was 74 percent in the …
