Multiple Myeloma

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex) is supporting a bill that would authorize the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to increase research on blood cancers, particularly leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. The Senate Health, Education, Labor,

EAST HANOVER, NJ-In a news release, Novartis announced that the FDA has granted priority review to its intravenous bisphosphonate Zometa (zoledronic acid for injection) for the treatment of bone metastases associated with a broad range of tumor types, including multiple myeloma and prostate, lung, and breast cancer. The application is based on data from three large international clinical trials evaluating more than 3,000 patients. Zometa previously received FDA approval for use in treating tumor-induced hypercalcemia.

The third edition of the Color Atlas of Clinical Hematology, authored by Drs. A. Victor Hoffbrand and John E. Pettit, contains 19 chapters covering the entire spectrum of hematology, including normal hematopoiesis, benign and malignant

ROCHESTER, Minnesota-In a study of thalidomide (Thalomid) for early-stage multiple myeloma, 6 of 16 patients had a confirmed response-50% or greater reduction in serum and urine monoclonal (M) protein. S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, and his colleagues at the Mayo Clinic reported the interim finding in Leukemia (8:1274-1276-2001).

SAN DIEGO, California-Few studies have addressed the psychological effect of multiple myeloma, even though the disease has a discouraging prognosis and is often associated with significant pain. To learn more about this issue, Angela Poulos, RN, CNS, MS, a clinical nurse specialist in radiation oncology at the Mayo Clinic, examined the link between pain, mood disturbance, and quality of life (QOL) in these patients.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center report that very low doses of a potent new bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid (Zometa), reduces the complications arising from multiple myeloma and breast cancer that have metastasized to the bone. The

At the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XVIII in New York City, researchers from the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, M. D. Anderson, and the National Cancer Institute presented updated clinical trial data

SAN ANTONIO-Zoledronic acid (Zometa), a high-potency bisphospho-nate, is at least as effective as pamidronate (Aredia) in treating bone metastases, James R. Berenson, MD, said at the 23rd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Delivered in a 5-minute infusion, zoledronic acid is expected to be more convenient and easier to use than the older bisphosphonate, said Dr. Berenson, director, Multiple Myeloma and Bone Metastasis Programs, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.

Laboratory studies evaluating the activity of Celgene’s immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) on multiple myeloma cells suggest that these agents may be beneficial in the treatment of multiple myeloma. Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

The anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) has been successfully used in the treatment of many B-cell malignancies. Clonotypic B cells circulating in multiple myeloma (MM) patients express CD20, and it has been suggested

SAN FRANCISCO-Seven years seems to be the cutoff point for multiple myeloma patients receiving tandem autotransplants to avoid relapse and achieve long-term survival. "Most relapses were seen in the first 3 years," Guido Tricot, MD, said at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 42nd Annual Meeting. "Relapses start to decrease between 3 and 7 years. After 7 years, it is exceptional to relapse."

SAN FRANCISCO-Multiple myeloma patients receiving intensive chemotherapy following bone marrow transplantation had "significantly superior" survival, according to a poster presentation at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 42nd Annual Meeting. The survival advantages extended to patients with two or more risk factors for relapse after high-dose therapy.

BOSTON-Laboratory studies assessing the effect of potent thalidomide analogs on multiple myeloma cells suggest they have potential for the treatment of multiple myeloma, investigators from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School reported.

Thalidomide (Thalomid) is a potent teratogen and sedative that inhibits angiogenesis. Based on the activity of this agent in patients with multiple myeloma, we initiated a phase II study in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.

Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, edited by Drs. Thomas, Blume, and Forman, is an excellent updated second edition of their comprehensive textbook designed for both practitioners involved in transplantation and those interested in the science of stem-cell transplantation.

NEW ORLEANS-High-dose radiation targeted to bone by 166Ho-DOTMP combined with melphalan (Alkeran) with or without total body radiation (TBI) is safe and effective in patients with multiple myeloma, according to clinical trial results presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

NEW YORK-Researchers at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University have identified a collection of distinct chromosome translocations associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a benign preclinical phase of multiple myeloma.

New clinical data presented at the 41st meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) expand on previously published results on the use of thalidomide (Thalomid) in treating advanced and refractory multiple myeloma. The studies

CLEVELAND-Patient education can be improved through the use of new technologies such as computer networks and CD-ROMs. At the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, a website provides disease information and clinical trial updates for multiple myeloma patients. At the Princess Margaret Hospital (Toronto), cancer information for both patients and professionals is offered on its local “intranet” and on CD-ROMs. These cancer education efforts were described at the 33rd annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Education.

NEW ORLEANS -Age should not be a contraindication for high-dose therapy based on melphalan (Alkeran) in patients with multiple myeloma, according to an analysis by researchers at the Myeloma and Transplantation Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

NEW ORLEANS-Multiple myeloma cells can be fused to dendritic cells and the resulting fusion cells used to selectively kill myeloma tumor cells in vitro, according to a poster presentation at the 41st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

NEW ORLEANS -Based on an analysis of prognostic factors in a large European registry study, it appears that autologous stem cell transplantation is most effective when applied early in the course of multiple myeloma in younger, responsive patients.

Mayo Clinic investigators confirmed a recent study showing the activity of thalidomide (Thalomid) in advanced multiple myeloma. Although the drug needs to undergo further clinical trials, it may provide myeloma patients with a new treatment

An Arkansas Cancer Research Center study, published in the November 18, 1999, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, found that thalidomide (Thalidomid) effectively reduced or, in some cases, eliminated tumor activity in multiple myeloma patients who had not responded previously to other agents.

B cells, plasma cells, or both may act as clonogenic cells in multiple myeloma. Circulating CD20-positive B cells bearing identical immunoglobulin H (IgH) rearrangements as autologous plasma cells circulate in most multiple myeloma patients. In

Rituximab (Rituxan) therapy is successfully used to treat many B-cell malignancies. Absent or diminished CD20 expression on certain B-cell tumors may limit the efficacy of CD20-directed serotherapies

Multiple myeloma is a neoplastic disease characterized by the expansion of monoclonal plasma cells that seed throughout the bone marrow. Induction regimens for multiple myeloma result in a 60% to 70% response rate. In vitro studies suggest

LITTLE ROCK-Durable complete remissions “as a prelude to cure” can be obtained in more than half of good-risk multiple myeloma patients who are optimally treated. This conclusion was based on findings from 1,000 consecutive multiple myeloma patients enrolled from 1988 to 1998 in tandem melphalan-based high-dose therapy (HDT) trials with autologous hematopoetic stem cell support. The study was conducted by Bart Barlogie, MD, and colleagues from the Myeloma and Transplantation Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medicine Sciences, and reported at the ASH meeting.

LITTLE ROCK-High-dose chemotherapy with bone-marrow transplant produces complete remissions in about 40% of multiple myeloma patients, but current maintenance therapy is not able to maintain this response. New preliminary data, however, show that multiple myeloma patients who receive a purified immunoglobulin idiotype protein as a vaccine after high-dose chemotherapy and transplant are likely to have improved event-free survival. Nikhil C. Munshi, MD, of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences reported these preliminary results at the ASH meeting.

NEW ORLEANS-Thalidomide’s value in managing multiple myeloma has been solidified by reports from two cancer centers presented at the ASH meeting.