Early-stage myeloma, single bone lesions, a negative bone marrow biopsy, and normal M-protein levels in the serum are associated with improved survival in multiple myeloma patients following surgery for skeletal complications, according to a recent German study.

Multiple myeloma is commonly associated with a number of skeletal complications, including fractures, spinal cord compression, elevated calcium levels in the blood, and severe bone pain.

These complications arise as a result of skeletal weakening due to bone lesions. Bone lesions are the result of an under activity or absence of cells responsible…

A recent study demonstrated that it is possible to identify multiple myeloma patients with a poor prognosis, based on the presence of rapidly dividing, or proliferating, cancerous cells. Classifying rapidly dividing myeloma cells as a prognostic factor may help patients receive more targeted treatment, especially as anti-proliferative drugs become available.

“Proliferation has long been known to be an adverse prognostic factor in myeloma, but it is quite laborious to measure it in the laboratory, and is thus not routinely measured in the large European trial groups,” explained Dr. Dirk Hose,…

Patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance have an increased risk of developing blood clots, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Haematology. Blood clots were also associated with poor survival in these patients.   

“Our findings underline the risk of VTE [blood cots] in the monoclonal gammopathies in general and might in this way serve to increase the awareness of this complication in myeloma patients,” stated Dr. Henrik Gregersen, of the Aalborg Hospital in Denmark and lead author of this study.

While some of the increased…

The pharmaceutical company Amgen recently announced that its new drug Prolia more effectively prevents bone pain and fractures in patients with advanced bone disease than Zometa. Prolia was noted to have higher efficacy in patients with various types of cancers, including multiple myeloma. The announcement followed the presentation of results from recent Phase 3 trials at the European Society of Medical Oncology Annual Meeting. 

Bone disease is frequently associated with multiple myeloma and can cause bone pain and lead to serious bone complications, such as lesions…

The use of single-agent Velcade as maintenance therapy does not significantly improve the response of multiple myeloma patients who fail to achieve a complete response following stem cell transplantation with their own cells, according to a recent study published in the journal Investigational New Drugs.

The researchers recommended that Velcade be used in combination with other myeloma treatments as maintenance therapy. “Velcade is indeed effective in the post-transplant setting, but it must be given as part of a combination therapy to realize the effects/benefits,” said Dr. Robert Rifkin from the…