Researchers have discovered that green tea inactivates the anti-cancer properties of Velcade (bortezomib), a promising and frequently used drug for treating multiple myeloma.

In recent years, green tea products have become a popular health supplement after studies demonstrated that one of its active compounds, EGCG polyphenol, can act as a potent anti-cancer agent. “Cancer patients look to green tea extracts among other natural supplements to complement their therapeutic regimens,” said Axel Schonthal, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

With this information in mind, a…

Numerous treatment options are available to multiple myeloma patients, with the therapeutic objective of inducing complete remission (CR) or at least very good partial remission (VGPR).

In the American Society of Hematology’s recent Education Program Book, “Hematology,” researcher Jean-Luc Harousseau compares treatment regimens with and without a stem cell transplant component. In addition, he examines the mounting belief that complete remission, a potentially unreliable prognostic indicator, should cease to be the therapeutic goal in all situations.

Comparison: Treatment With and Without Stem Cell Transplant

During initial…

The multi-center randomized Phase 3 double-blind clinical trial of Zolinza (vorinostat) or placebo in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) will be opening soon. The study will be conducted under Dr. Sundar Jagannath, Chief of the Multiple Myeloma Program at St. Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York.

In combination with the recently announced Phase 2B open-label clinical trial of Velcade plus Zolinza, Dr. Jagannath hopes that this Phase 3 trial will help to explore the effects of combining Zolinza and Velcade.

Zolinza, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is…

The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) announced Friday that it will partner with Merck & Co. to initiate Phase 2B clinical trials of Zolinza (vorinostat) in combination with Velcade (bortezomib). The trial is currently open for the enrollment of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

Zolinza, an oral histone deacetylase inhibitor that increases the cellular proteins that prevent cancer, has previously been approved for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Velcade has been previously approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

As a Phase…

For more than four decades, the standard of care in elderly multiple myeloma patients over age 65 has been a combination of melphalan (a chemotherapy drug) and prednisone (a steroid). Yet, this regimen, known as MP, only achieves a five percent complete remission rate.

The advent of novel therapeutic agents has greatly improved treatment outcomes.

Multiple researchers have tested an MP plus thalidomide (Thalomid) regimen, or MPT, and the majority of these studies have found that MPT yields superior complete remission (CR), very good partial remission (VGPR), and progression-free…