For more than four decades, the standard of care in elderly multiple myeloma patients over age 65 has been a combination of melphalan (a chemotherapy drug) and prednisone (a steroid). Yet, this regimen, known as MP, only achieves a five percent complete remission rate.

The advent of novel therapeutic agents has greatly improved treatment outcomes.

Multiple researchers have tested an MP plus thalidomide (Thalomid) regimen, or MPT, and the majority of these studies have found that MPT yields superior complete remission (CR), very good partial remission (VGPR), and progression-free survival rates, …

The majority of myeloma patients develop bone disease, which is caused by two main factors: stimulation of cells that break down bone and suppression of cells that make bone. Drugs that alter these processes have therapeutic potential for bone disease.

A biological pathway called RANKL is known to increase break down of bone. Scientists have developed an antibody called denosumab, which decreases bone destruction by blocking the RANKL pathway. One dose of denosumab reduces bone resorption for 90 days. Denosumab is currently in clinical trials; however, it is …

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annually reviews key clinical research advances that significantly improve patient care for both new patients and the growing numbers of cancer survivors. The report, compiled by leading oncologists and other cancer specialists, includes research made public from October 2007 to September 2008.

Several important findings have been made in multiple myeloma this year, as well as recognition of key issues that affect all cancers.

• In 2008, there were 19,920 estimated new cases of multiple myeloma and 10,690 estimated deaths. These figures

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At the recent ASH conference, Palumbo and colleagues presented a new induction therapy composed of bortezomib (Velcade), doxurubicin, and dexamethasone that is specifically targeted to elderly patients.

Palumbo and colleagues treated 122 …

Two Phase 2 studies presented at this year's ASH conference show that a new treatment regimen achieves 86 percent to 98 percent responsiveness in relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.

Known as Rev/Vel/Dex, the treatment is a cocktail of three commonly prescribed multiple myeloma drugs -- Revlimid (lenalidomide), Velcade (bortezomib), and dexamethasone. Both studies started patients on the same maximum dosage of 25 mg Revlimid, 1.3 mg/m² Velcade, 20 mg dexamethasone, and dosages were adjusted according to individual responses.

Both relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed patients responded comparably in …

In young patients under age 65, stem cell transplants have greatly reduced remission rates when coupled with novel therapeutic agents (thalidomide, Velcade, and Revlimid).

Unlike elderly patients, younger individuals are usually healthy enough to withstand an intensive course of high-dose chemotherapy. The chemotherapy, while a potent killer of cancerous cells, also destroys bone marrow, therefore necessitating a transplant after treatment. In conjunction with high-dose therapy and transplant, the introduction of novel agents has further improved complete remission (CR), very good partial remission (VGPR), and progression-free survival (PFS) rates. …

At the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting this Monday, researchers from Italy reported the positive results of a Phase 2 clinical trial combining Velcade (bortezomib) with thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone (VTD) for the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. The drug combination was used as an induction regimen to reduce the tumor in preparation for melphalan-based autologous stem cell transplantation.

Chemotherapy combined with autologous stem cell transplantation – stem cells collected and returned to the same individual - is a typical treatment option in newly …