Results of a small Phase 2 study show that the four-drug combination therapy of Revlimid, Velcade, Doxil, and dexamethasone may be an effective and tolerable treatment option for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients.

According to the study investigators, the four-drug regimen compares favorably to the three-drug combination without Revlimid in that it improves response rates without a significant increase in side effects.

The investigators recommend that future trials further investigate the number and specific types of previous treatments to identify those in which the Revlimid, Velcade, Doxil, and dexamethasone…

The results of a small Phase 2 study indicate that sequential mainte­nance therapy involving six months of Velcade followed by six months of thalidomide is both effective and tolerable in multiple myeloma patients who have received a stem cell transplant.

The Phase 2 trial was carried out recently at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California.

Many patients in the trial experienced peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage that causes pain and tingling in the extremities).

However, the City of Hope researchers believe a key result of their study…

In my last column, I described how a couple of incidents, one on the subway and one at work, during the first few months of steroid and Revlimid (lenalidomide) treatment had given me hints that more than physical effects were going to be involved in my multiple myeloma treatments.

After five months on chemotherapy, it seemed that, while my medicines were apparently going to control the myeloma – I was approaching “very good partial response” – I could tell that the chemotherapy was having profound effects on me emotionally.  …

Combined data from two recent Phase 1 clinical trials suggest that twice-weekly marizomib, with or without low-dose dexamethasone, may be effective for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Dr. David Vesole from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, who was not involved in the study, described marizomib as having “modest activity in relapsed/refractory myeloma.”

Dr. Paul Richardson from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston presented the results at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in San Diego last month.

Marizomib (NPI-0052), which is being…

Interim results from a Phase 2 study show that panobinostat may be clinically beneficial for certain multiple myeloma patients with advanced disease.

In the study, patients who had relapsed and were no longer responsive to Velcade-based treatments received panobinostat in combination with Velcade and dexamethasone.

Although the results generally are being viewed as favorable, “It is hard to interpret them because you don’t really know how the patients would have done with just Velcade and dexamethasone alone,” explained Dr. Leif Bergsagel, a myeloma specialist from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona,…