Articles tagged with: Velcade
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Treanda May Enhance Response To Stem Cell Transplant In Myeloma Patients – Results from a Phase 1 clinical trial demonstrate the safety of adding Treanda (bendamustine) to melphalan (Alkeran) as high-dose therapy prior to stem cell transplantation. The researchers state that the side effects of Treanda-melphalan therapy were similar to those expected from melphalan alone. Of the 25 myeloma patients included in the study, the overall response rate was 79 percent, with 38 percent achieving a stringent complete response, 4 percent a complete response, 33 percent a very good partial response, and 4 percent a partial response. Treanda is approved in the United States as a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and certain lymphomas, and it is being investigated as a treatment for myeloma. It belongs to a class of drugs known as alkylating agents, which also includes melphalan and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). These drugs work by damaging the DNA of cancer cells, which in turn causes the cells to die. For more information, please see the study in the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (abstract).
Viracept May Overcome Velcade And Kyprolis Resistance In Multiple Myeloma – Findings from a recent preclinical study show that Viracept (nelfinavir) kills multiple myeloma cells, including those that are resistant to Velcade (bortezomib) and Kyprolis (carfilzomib). In addition, the researchers found that Viracept enhanced the effectiveness of Velcade and Kyprolis, particularly when administered to myeloma cells resistant to Velcade and Kyprolis. Viracept belongs to a class of drugs called protease inhibitors and was approved by the FDA to treat HIV in 1997. Viracept as well as Velcade and Kyprolis limit a cell’s ability to chop up and discard unwanted proteins. The accumulation of these unwanted proteins causes the cells to die. The researchers also investigated the anti-myeloma properties of eight other HIV protease inhibitors but found Viracept to be the most effective. The investigators therefore state that Viracept may be useful to overcome Velcade resistance and believe their results justify clinical study of Viracept in combination with Velcade or Kyprolis. For more information, please refer to the study in Blood Cancer Journal (full text).
Pseudo-Autologous Stem Cell Transplant May Be Feasible Following Relapse After Donor Transplant – Canadian myeloma experts report that a 54-year-old myeloma patient is doing well, remains drug-free, but has a low level of monoclonal protein one year after undergoing a “pseudo-autologous stem cell transplant.” The patient was diagnosed with stage 2 myeloma in May 1997 and was treated with a donor (allogeneic) stem cell transplant, but she relapsed after 12 years. Her physicians then had her undergo a pseudo-autologous stem cell transplant, hoping that she would achieve a similarly long response to the second transplant while avoiding complications associated with a second donor transplant. An autologous transplant typically involves collecting a patient’s own stem cells prior to high-dose chemotherapy, and then reinfusing the stem cells into the patient after the chemotherapy. In this case, the patient’s bone marrow also was repopulated with stem cells from the patient herself, but those stem cells were no longer her own original stem cells. Instead, they were stem cells descended from the donor stem cells she received during her allogeneic transplant in 1997. Thus, this procedure is known as a “pseudo-autologous” transplant. For more information, please see the case study in Bone Marrow Transplantation (subscription required).
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Results from a small Italian Phase 2 clinical trial indicate that Velcade plus dexamethasone, followed by donor lymphocyte infusions, may be an important treatment option for patients who relapse after donor stem cell transplantation.
The findings show that almost two-thirds of the patients responded to the Velcade (bortezomib)-dexamethasone (Decadron) combination, and that donor lymphocyte infusions deepened the responses achieved with Velcade-dexamethasone.
The study investigators also note that side effects associated with the treatment were manageable and expected, considering the high likelihood of these patients developing transplant-related complications.
The Italian study …
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Results of a small Phase 2 study may lead to improved outcomes for newly diagnosed patients who are unable to achieve a deep response with a Revlimid- or thalidomide-based initial therapy.
The study indicates that follow-on treatment with a Velcade-based regimen can noticeably deepen responses in these patients.
“We were certainly pleased to see that we were able to confirm our hypothesis that offering Velcade-containing, non-cross-resistant combinations to patients whose response had stalled after [Revlimid- or thalidomide-] based therapy can improve the depth of response,” said the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Ruben …
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SF1126 Shows Promise As A Treatment Option For Myeloma Patients – Findings from a preclinical study suggest that the Semafore Pharmaceuticals’ investigational drug SF1126 may have anti-myeloma activity and may enhance the effect of Velcade (bortezomib). Similar to perifosine and GDC-0941, SF1126 works by inhibiting an enzyme in cancer cells known as phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). This disrupts the cell division cycles and triggers cancer cell death. The investigators found that SF1126 inhibited myeloma growth by 94 percent and was particularly effective when administered in combination with Velcade. Based on their results, the investigators recommend that SF1126 be tested in combination with Velcade in a Phase 1 clinical trial. For more information, please refer to the study in Cancer Chemotherapy Pharmacology (abstract).
Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial To Study PVX-410 In Patients With Smoldering Myeloma – The pharmaceutical company OncoPep has launched a Phase 1/2 trial of the investigational cancer vaccine PVX-410 in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma. PVX-410 is a therapeutic cancer vaccine that targets specific proteins found on the surface of myeloma cells. Preclinical studies have shown that PVX-410 may be effective in stimulating the immune system to kill myeloma cells. For more information on the Phase 1 trial, including trial locations, please see the clinical trial description.
Mixed Exercise Program May Be Safe And Improve Quality of Life Of Multiple Myeloma Patients – Results from a recent British study show that a mixed exercise program may be feasible, safe, and may improve the quality of life of myeloma patients. Additionally, the program may help patients regain muscle strength. According to the investigators, only a small number of previous studies have evaluated the impact of exercise programs on myeloma patient health and quality of life. Thus, the researchers developed an exercise program, which consisted of both gym and at-home workouts, and tested it with 37 myeloma patients in a single-arm clinical trial. The program included cardiovascular exercises, such as running or cycling, as well as weight lifting to improve muscle strength. The researchers found that a majority of the patients adhered to the program and that their upper limb strength and measures of quality of life improved. They noted, however, that their findings need to be confirmed by a randomized trial. For more information, please see the study in the journal BMC Cancer (abstract, which includes a link to a provisional full-text version of the article in PDF form).
Researchers Identify Factors Associated With Infection During Velcade Treatment – Korean researchers recently found that, among patients receiving treatment with Velcade, those who had severely low levels of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) and those who received less than eight cycles of treatment were more likely to experience severe infection during their treatment. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that patients on Velcade be closely monitored during early treatment cycles for signs of severely low lymphocytes levels. For more information, please refer to the study in the International Journal of Hematology (abstract).
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Results from a recent, small-scale study conducted at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston suggest that three Velcade-based combination therapies given at lower doses over a short period of time may be safe and effective in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients .
In particular, two out of the three combinations showed overall response rates of above 90 percent, and all combinations were associated with few side effects.
Based on their findings, the researchers conclude that the tested combinations are viable alternatives to standard Velcade (bortezomib)-based combinations given over longer periods …
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HHV-6 Infection May Be Common After Stem Cell Transplantation – Results of a retrospective Israeli study indicate that human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection is common in multiple myeloma patients after own (autologous) stem cell transplantation. HHV-6 is a family of two viruses that are present, but inactive, in most adults. If the virus becomes active in an adult, the resulting infection can cause pneumonia, suppression of blood cell production, and inflammation of the brain. The Israeli researchers found that 16 percent of patients in their study developed an HHV-6 infection after stem cell transplantation. The rate of infection was higher in patients who had received initial therapy with Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Decadron) (20 percent) compared to those who received thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone (10 percent). The researchers recommend further studies to determine if Velcade plays a role in the development infection due to the virus. For more information, please see the study in the journal Bone Marrow Research (full text).
Iron Supplementation May Increase Velcade’s Efficacy – Results of a small Italian preclinical study show that iron supplementation may increase the efficacy of Velcade. The Italian researchers found that iron supplementation promoted protein oxidation and increased myeloma cell death. They concluded that modification of the iron status in multiple myeloma patients may be worth considering to improve the efficacy of proteasome inhibitors such as Velcade. For more information, please see the study in Haematologica (full text).
Phase 1 Clinical Trial To Study SAR650984 Plus Revlimid In Previously-Treated Myeloma Patients – The pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis is starting a Phase 1 trial of SAR650984 in combination with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. Myeloma patients must have received at least two prior therapies to be able to participate in the trial. SAR650984 belongs to the same class of drugs as elotuzumab and daratumumab, called monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies work by identifying proteins on the surface of myeloma cells and signaling for the immune system to destroy the cancer cells. For more information, including trial locations, please see the clinical trial description.
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Results from a Phase 1 study indicate that tabalumab in combination with Velcade demonstrates both efficacy and safety in myeloma patients who have relapsed after several previous therapies.
Dr. Nooper Raje from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston presented the results of the study at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting earlier this month. She explained that tabalumab was very promising in this particular patient population, and added that “this was a very well tolerated regimen.”
However, Dr. Raje emphasized that further study of tabalumab at higher doses and in combination …
