Articles tagged with: Velcade
News»
An American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting abstract, to be presented on June 1 at the ASCO Annual Meeting, describes a study on the combined effects of tanespimycin and Velcade (bortezomib) on patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Researchers found that combining tanespimycin and Velcade strengthened the drugs' effects; thus, the combined treatment compared favorably to therapy involving Velcade alone.
Tanespimycin, an antibiotic, binds to and disrupts Hsp90 (Heat Shock Protein 90). Hsp90 is a “chaperone” protein; it helps in the production of other proteins that contribute to …
News»
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); …
News»
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 …
NewsFlash »
Ontario To Fund Use Of Velcade – On May 13, Velcade (bortezomib) was added to the list of medications covered by Cancer Care Ontario’s New Drug Funding Program. Reimbursement from the Ontario government will now be available for myeloma patients being treated with Velcade. For more information, please visit The Canadian Press or Newswire Web sites.
2nd International Congress On Leukemia-Lymphoma-Myeloma – This convention will be held from May 21 to 24 in Istanbul, Turkey. Companies attending the Congress will have their products, services, and new advances on exhibition. The Congress will help facilitate the sharing of new ideas and collaboration between companies. For more information, please visit the Congress’s Web site.
AACR Awards Centennial Medals For Distinguished Public Service – On April 19, Kathy Giusti and Nicholas Valvano were awarded the AACR Centennial Medal for Distinguished Public Service at the American Association for Cancer Research’s (AACR) 100th Annual Meeting 2009. Kathy Giusti is the founder and chief executive officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and was chosen for her efforts in facilitating new drug and treatment development. Nicholas Valvano is the chief executive officer of The V Foundation, which works to promote and fundraise for cancer research. He was chosen for his outstanding leadership of the foundation. For more information, please visit the MMRF Web site.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calender.
NewsFlash »
Intas Pharmaceuticals To Market Bortezomib In India – Intas Biopharmaceuticals has recently launched Borviz (bortezomib) in India for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Bortezomib is marketed in the U.S. under the brand name Velcade. The medication is given as an intravenous injection, and the dosage is based on individual medical conditions. About 3.5 million cancer cases have been diagnosed in India and statistics show that the age of onset for multiple myeloma is decreasing from the current 65 years of age. For more information about Borviz see the India PR Wire press release.
Myeloma: Understanding Drug Therapy And Stem Cell Transplantation – The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is sponsoring this free teleconference on May 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m. EST. Dr. Seema Singhal, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Myeloma Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, will present on the topic and take questions from participants. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
Honolulu Triathlon – On May 17, members of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training program will participate in this Hawaiian triathlon. There will be both international and sprint races. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
News»
In the current issue of Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, Dr. James R. Berenson from the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research discusses the history of Velcade (bortezomib) and the drug’s current role in treating newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in patients who are not candidates for high dose therapy.
Until recent years, the only treatment options available for patients unable to receive high dose therapy were standard chemotherapy and steroid regimens used in the conventional treatment of tumors. The most common regimen, a combination of the chemotherapy agent melphalan …
News»
At the recent XII International Myeloma Workshop (IMW), physicians addressed the ongoing "cure versus control" debate in treating multiple myeloma. Though it can seem like a philosophical matter, the debate is extremely important to patient care. Whether a doctor aims to cure the patient or to control the disease will affect the type of treatment selected.
Even though there is still no cure for multiple myeloma, many physicians believe that the long-term survival experienced by many patients is nearly the same as a cure. At the same time, the line between disease …