Advances in the development of multiple myeloma drugs have had a profound impact on the way the disease is treated. Given the efficacy and relative safety of these novel agents, studies are being conducted to determine whether they may be as effective, or possibly even more effective, than an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Two such studies were presented June 6 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.

Results from the two studies suggest that ASCT (in which a patient’s own stem cells are…

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…

Results from an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial suggest that pomalidomide in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) is effective and well-tolerated in patients who are resistant (refractory) to previous myeloma treatment with both Revlimid (lenalidomide) and Velcade (bortezomib). The findings were presented by Dr. Martha Lacy of the Mayo Clinic at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago on Saturday.

“We found the pomalidomide-dexamethasone regimen has significant activity in Revlimid- and Velcade-refractory myeloma,” said Dr. Lacy.

Pomalidomide is a new therapy being developed by

Yesterday — Saturday, June 5 — was the second day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 annual meeting in Chicago.  It was a busy day in terms of research posters and presentations related to multiple myeloma.  As a result, there is a lot of ground to cover in this update.

Almost 40 myeloma-related posters were up for meeting attendees to view during the daytime poster session on “lymphoma and plasma cell disorders.”  Among those 40-or-so posters, six concerned research done by the myeloma team at the University of Arkansas for Medical…