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…

A study published in the journal Blood suggests that certain myeloma growth factors may one day serve as a target for therapies. This particular study found significant results pertaining to insulin-like growth factor type 1, or IGF-1.

IGF-1 is a molecule produced in bone marrow that binds to the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), if present. Binding sets off a cascade of molecular events that ultimately stimulates cell growth. Many myeloma growth factors exist, and this study investigated five.

Using cell lines derived from human myeloma cells, the researchers found that of…

An American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting abstract, to be presented on June 1 at the ASCO Annual Meeting, describes a study on the combined effects of tanespimycin and Velcade (bortezomib) on patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Researchers found that combining tanespimycin and Velcade strengthened the drugs’ effects; thus, the combined treatment compared favorably to therapy involving Velcade alone.

Tanespimycin, an antibiotic, binds to and disrupts Hsp90 (Heat Shock Protein 90). Hsp90 is a “chaperone” protein; it helps in the production of other proteins that…

A retrospective study conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study examined the effects of autologous stem cell transplantation after combination drug therapy in 95 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and found that transplantation improved patients’ responses.

Prior to autologous stem cell transplantation, patients in the study were treated with a combination regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and dexamethasone…

On May 31 at the 45th meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), researchers from Italy will report the results for a Phase 3 study currently comparing the combination Velcade (bortezomib)–melphalan (Alkeran)–prednisone–thalidomide (Thalomid) (VMPT) to Velcade-melphalan-prednisone (VMP) for the treatment of elderly, newly diagnosed myeloma patients.

Overall, the very good partial response rate for patients treated with VMPT was 55 percent, compared to 45 percent for those treated with VMP. After a median follow-up time of 14.5 months, the three-year progression-free survival was 74 percent…