3-drug combination 'extremely promising' as first-line therapy for multiple myelomaDecember 12, 2007ATLANTA-A new combination of bortezomib (Velcade) and two other drugs is showing a very high response rate in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a team headed by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. The three-pronged regimen of Velcade, lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone - referred to as Rev/Vel/Dex - has achieved an overall response rate of 98 percent in 42 patients evaluated thus far in a Phase 1-2 trial, said Paul Richardson, MD, of Dana-Farber and the study's principal investigator. He added that 52 percent of the patients had high quality responses (very good partial response or better), with 30 percent achieving complete response to date. "These may be some of the best response rates we've seen to date with up-front therapies, and although these are preliminary results, they are extremely promising," Richardson said. The patients were previously untreated when they received the Rev/Vel/Dex combination. Velcade is a "smart" drug known as a proteasome inhibitor that blocks the myeloma cells' waste disposal system, creating an accumulation of toxic compounds that poison the cell. Revlimid is a chemical relative of thalidomide that affects several pathways in cancer cells, including immune mechanisms and blood vessel growth to tumors. Dexamethasone is a steroid hormone that counters inflammation and is used to treat hematologic malignancies such as myeloma. Studies leading to the trial of the three drugs in combination were carried out at Dana-Farber. While these are the first results from trials of Rev/Vel/Dex given as initial, first-line therapy for the blood cancer, the combination has already been shown effective for multiple myeloma patients who had relapsed following successful treatment or who had not responded to standard therapies. Richardson also reported at the ASH meeting preliminary data from a Dana-Farber led multicenter Phase 2 trial of the combination in relapsed or refractory myeloma. "These data confirm the favorable side effect profile," said Richardson, "and the response rate of 72 percent - including complete, partial, and minor responses - is very encouraging." The responses, he added, appear to be holding up well, with a duration of more than one year for some patients to date. Both trials will continue to enroll patients, and final results are expected next year. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute |
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| Related Multiple Myeloma Current Events and Multiple Myeloma News Articles Cancers' Sweet Tooth May Be Weakness The pedal-to-the-metal signals driving the growth of several types of cancer cells lead to a common switch governing the use of glucose, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered. Approved lymphoma drug shows promise in early tests against bone cancer A drug already approved for the treatment of lymphoma may also slow the growth of the most deadly bone cancer in children and teens, according to an early-stage study published online today in the International Journal of Cancer. Experimental drug lets B cells live and lymphoma cells die An investigative drug deprived non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells of their ability to survive too long and multiply too fast, according to an early study published recently in the journal Experimental Hematology. Boron-based compounds trick a biomedical protein Chemists and biologists have successfully demonstrated that specially synthesized boron compounds are readily accepted in biologically active enzymes, a move that, they say, is a proof of concept that could lead to new drug design strategies. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Common blood disorder may not be linked to as many serious diseases A symptomless blood disorder, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, known as MGUS, is not linked to as many serious diseases as previously thought. New study suggests possible genetic links between environmental toxins and multiple myeloma The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF)-supporting research and providing education, advocacy and support for myeloma patients, families, researchers and physicians-today said newly published data may provide a possible genetic link between environmental toxins and bone disease in multiple myeloma. Mayo researchers find race has role in incidence, survival of rare brain tumor The incidence of a rare and deadly tumor called primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is two times higher in black Americans, ages 20 to 49, than in white Americans, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the June issue of Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Genetic factors implicated in survival gap for breast, ovarian or prostate cancer A new finding reveals that African-American patients with breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer tend to die earlier than patients of other races with these cancers, even when they receive identical medical treatment and when socioeconomic factors are controlled for. Individuals who apply pesticides are found to have double the risk of blood disorder A study involving 678 individuals who apply pesticides, culled from a U.S. Agricultural Health Study of over 50,000 farmers, recently found that exposure to certain pesticides doubles one's risk of developing an abnormal blood condition called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) compared with individuals in the general population. X-rays help predict permanent bone damage from bisphosphonates Breast cancer patients, individuals at risk for osteoporosis and those undergoing certain types of bone cancer therapies often take drugs containing bisphosphonates. More Multiple Myeloma Current Events and Multiple Myeloma News Articles |
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