A recent study showed that maintenance therapy with thalidomide and interferon delayed progression, but did not extend survival, in elderly multiple myeloma patients. Additionally, the thalidomide-interferon maintenance therapy caused slightly more side effects than maintenance therapy with interferon alone.

Previous studies have indicated that in younger patients, maintenance therapy with thalidomide (Thalomid) after stem cell transplantation resulted in increased progression-free survival time in all trials and in increased overall survival time in two out of five trials (see related Beacon news 1, 2, and 3).

However,…

The results of a recent study suggest that donor stem cell transplants may not be necessary as part of first line therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. These findings were presented at the recent European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting held in Barcelona, Spain.

Despite its frequent use in the treatment of multiple myeloma, stem cell transplantation remains a risky procedure with many possible complications.

Patients can either receive their own stem cells during this procedure (autologous stem cell transplant) or receive the stem cells from a healthy donor (allogeneic…

Maintenance therapy with thalidomide (Thalomid) improves progression-free survival of multiple myeloma patients but has no impact on overall survival, according to a recent study. Additionally, patients with an aggressive form of myeloma show no benefit from this treatment. The findings were presented by Dr. James Child of the United Kingdom’s Clinical Trials Research Unit at the European Hematology Association (EHA) annual meeting in Barcelona on June 13.

Maintenance therapy is long-term, often low-dose and continuous, treatment given to prevent relapse in myeloma patients who have achieved remission. Until recently,…

Revlimid (lenalidomide) is an effective maintenance therapy after stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma patients, according to two Phase 3 studies presented on Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Based on the results of these two studies as well as a previous study, Revlimid maintenance therapy is likely to become a common addition to the treatment of myeloma.

Dr. Sergio Giralt of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston led a discussion about these two studies during which he said,…

The third day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 annual meeting in Chicago was tailor-made for morning people interested in multiple myeloma.  The key myeloma-related activity on Sunday, June 6 was a morning abstract session starting at 9:30 a.m.  Nine abstracts were presented and discussed over the course of three hours.

The first two presentations dealt with Velcade (bortezomib)-related research.

Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the University of Turin presented the results of the first study.  It compared two regimens for the treatment of newly diagnosed elderly myeloma patients.  The first…