Results of a recent study suggest that a single dose of Velcade given after high-dose melphalan results in better outcomes in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients after stem cell transplantation than a single dose of Velcade given before high-dose melphalan.  Side effects of the regimen with Velcade were similar to those seen with melphalan alone.

Treatment with high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantion is a standard therapeutic approach for younger, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.  High-dose chemotherapy prior to stem cell transplantation, often called a conditioning regimen, is administered with the …

The combination of Velcade with Revlimid-dexamethasone treatment may help overcome the poor prognostic factors with certain chromosomal abnormalities more so than Revlimid-dexamethasone alone.

However, both treatment combinations were associated with an inferior response in patients with a deletion in chromosome 17. Additionally, prior resistance to thalidomide, increases in certain enzyme levels, and the presence of tumor cells outside of the bone marrow were also associated with poor outcomes in response to Revlimid-dexamethasone with or without Velcade.

In this recently published study, Greek researchers compared the efficacy of Revlimid (lenalidomide)-Velcade (bortezomib)-

During the course of their disease, multiple myeloma patients may develop a condition called amyloidosis.  Amyloidosis is a disease in which proteins accumulate in organs such as the heart or kidneys, leading to organ damage and complications associated with some multiple myeloma treatments.

The following article describes amyloidosis as it relates to multiple myeloma and includes some of the current treatment recommendations for patients with this dual diagnosis.

What Is Amyloidosis?

Amyloidosis occurs when proteins accumulate in organs such as the heart, kidney, liver, or intestines.

There are …

Newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who achieved a complete response to the combination of Velcade, melphalan, and prednisone experienced longer time to disease progression, time to next therapy, and treatment-free interval compared to patients who achieved a partial response. 

The benefits associated with complete response were similar regardless of whether complete response was achieved early or late in the treatment course.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that the achievement of a complete response should be considered an important treatment goal. They recommended that VMP be continued in patients tolerating therapy, …

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, an organization that decides which treatments will be made available under the state-funded National Health Service in the United Kingdom, recommended thalidomide as a first line of treatment for multiple myeloma patients in a draft guidance published August 26. Velcade was also recommended as a first line of treatment, but only for patients unable to tolerate thalidomide.

This draft guidance follows a previous draft published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on June 2, which recommended both thalidomide (Thalomid) …

The results of a recent study suggest that although the chromosomal abnormalities t(4;14) and del(17p) are associated with poor prognoses in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, Velcade-dexamethasone therapy improved survival among patients with t(4;14) compared to treatment with vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone.

However, patients with the t(4;14) abnormality did not respond as well to Velcade and dexamethasone as patients without the abnormality.  Patients with del(17p) did not show the same improvements when treated with Velcade-dexamethasone.

The presence of chromosomal abnormalities in the plasma cells of multiple myeloma patients is associated with poor …