| Many
patients with refractory multiple myeloma respond to thalidomide for
a median duration of nearly one year Almost one third of patients with advanced multiple myeloma who had failed chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation responded to thalidomide for a median duration of nearly 1 year, according to study results in the January issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Many studies in the last three years have demonstrated that thalidomide is effective in the treatment of multiple myeloma. However, information is limited on how long thalidomide therapy works and on survival rates with such therapy. The authors of the current study reported results from 32 patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. "Thalidomide is useful in the treatment of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma," said Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., senior author of the study. "Our study confirms an earlier report from the University of Arkansas that among patients who respond to therapy, the benefits are not transient, but last approximately one year on average." Studies are now addressing thalidomide's role in combination with other treatments and in earlier stages of the disease. Thalidomide is not currently approved in the U.S. for multiple myeloma. The average survival from diagnosis among
patients treated with conventional chemotherapy is 3 to 4 years.
The disease remains incurable despite advances in high-dose chemotherapy
and stem cell transplantation therapy. Robert Kyle, M.D., a study
coauthor, considered recent findings regarding high-dose chemotherapy,
stem cell transplantation, and thalidomide use, and said "These
advances, coupled with remarkable strides in the understanding of
the biology of the disease, provide considerable hope and optimism
for both patients and myeloma researchers." |