The combination therapy of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone (Decadron), commonly referred to as CTD, is effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, according to a new study published in the journal Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia. Patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after CTD therapy had higher success rates and longer survival.

Currently, thalidomide plus dexamethasone is one of the standard treatments for newly diagnosed myeloma patients. However, this treatment is associated with a high rate of blood clotting in the…

Phase 2 trials will begin for a new form of melphalan (Alkeran), a form of low-dose chemotherapy for multiple myeloma patients, made by CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. These studies will compare the effectiveness of CyDex’s new melphalan, Propylene Glycol-Free Melphalan HCL (CDX-353), and GlaxoSmithKline’s Alkeran in multiple myeloma patients who will be undergoing stem cell transplants.

According to CyDex’s press release, the advantages of the new treatment are its one-vial packaging, gentler formula, and increased stability at room temperature. “These advantages have the potential to enable doctors to safely achieve…

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting on May 30, Dr. Julie Ryan will present a study showing that ginger supplements significantly reduce nausea induced by the first chemotherapy treatment.

The majority of cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy are given drugs, called 5-HT3 antiemetics, to prevent vomiting and nausea caused by the therapy. Most patients report the most severe nausea on the first day of chemotherapy. Some doctors use spice ginger to treat the symptoms of nausea.

Dr. Julie Ryan and the research team conducted a multi-site, Phase…

The results of a small-scale clinical study in England suggest that a new hemodialysis procedure may increase the lifespan of multiple myeloma patients suffering from kidney complications.

Kidney failure is a relatively common complication in multiple myeloma patients and can lead to life-threatening health issues. Hemodialysis clinically removes toxic waste substances from the blood, performing the same function as a healthy kidney.

Previous to this study, researchers had predicted that chemotherapy in combination with the new procedure, called high cutoff hemodialysis, might improve the condition of multiple myeloma patients. High…

Researchers have achieved major strides in the treatment of multiple myeloma in the last ten years with the use of drugs such as thalidomide (marketed as Thalomid), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and Velcade (bortezomib). In conjunction with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, these various therapeutic options have increased patients’ treatment response and remission rates.

In a recent clinical trial involving Total Treatment 3 (TT3), 80% of patients who received up-front chemotherapy, transplantation, thalidomide, and Velcade achieved nearly complete remission. Of those,…