Most of you probably know that I have been working on several new books about multiple myeloma. 

This article concerns and fascinates me–all at the same time.  I discovered it earlier this week on a site called “Back to EurekAlert!

A few more quick notes from ASCO before the first of a long running series about ways to improve peripheral neuropathy (PN) starts later today:

I saved the link to this interesting article about the history of thalidomide, I found a few months back on a mainstream site called SLATE.  Here are some selected excerpts from the article, along with a link to access the full text:

The Myeloma Beacon just broke the story about how the FDA is investigating Revlimid and Thalomid, based on research data showing a possible secondary cancer risk following long term, post transplant use.

Here is an independent look at the pending investigation by Internal Medical News.  I have highlighted key points I feel are important:

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) issues an annual report yearly.  Revlimid is prominently mentioned in this years report, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, in the “Notable Advances” category.  Here is what the report had to say about Revlimid (lenalidomide):

e-CancerMedicalScience/Oncology ran a story about the ESMO 35 Italian study Sunday:

Here is the link to Dr. Richardson’s RVD study Dr. Stewart writes about in my previous post:

Lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone combination therapy in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

RVD works great!  The question is:  For how long?  Does using RVD extend a patient’s life?  Only time will tell.

Feel good and keep smiling!  Pat

Here is an article I found in this week’s Clinical Oncology newsletter.  No new news, but some insight into how stats effect progression free surivival (PFS).
In Multiple Myeloma, Maintenance Therapy After Transplant Improves PFS

Ted Bosworth
Chicago—Maintenance therapy with lenalidomide (Revlimid, Celgene) greatly improves progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), according to two large, multicenter Phase III trials. The similarity of the outcomes, which are considered to have immediate relevance to clinical practice, was remarkable. In one study, investigators identified a 54% reduction in the risk for PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.46; P<0.00000001). The other found a 58% reduction in time to progression (TTP; HR, 0.42; P<0.0001).


“We have just heard two of the most practice-changing presentations that have happened in myeloma in the last couple of years,” said Sergio Giralt, MD, chief, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City. Speaking at the 2010 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), where these data had just been presented, Dr. Giralt emphasized that the benefit of maintenance therapy with lenalidomide after ASCT was observed regardless of β2 microglobulins, cytogenetics, type of induction or response to the initial therapy.

Here is the first part of a story which ran Wednesday in The Myeloma Beacon:

One more stem cell transplant (SCT) follow-up point and story.  Medscape Medical News posted an article, Lenalinomide Maintenance Halves Multiple Myeloma Relapse, written by Zosia Chustecka just before the ASCO meetings this spring:

Here is the body of the article about multiple myeloma related research studies I started to post yesterday,  Is It Time to Abandon Up-Front Transplantation in Multiple Myeloma?

I have now been using Revlimid (lenalidomide) for 35 consecutive months and it is still working! But how does it work? Lenalidomide is an immune-modulating therapy that acts to improve the immune system. Administered orally, lenalidomide also helps block the blood supply to cancer cells so that tumors cannot grow. Lenalidomide is molecular variation, or analogue, of it’s predessessor, thalidomide. Pomalidomide (Actimid), is an analogue to lenalidomide. I have passed along a lot of good news about pomalidomide recently.  Thalidomide (Thalomid) is “old news.”  Myeloma docs have been using thalidomide for eight years or so against multiple myeloma. The great news is, although all three of these drugs are similar, they all have the potential of working at different times in the same patient. Translated: If you start using lenalidomide and it eventually stops working, you have a great chance of using pamalidomide successfully as soon as it becomes available. And if pomalidomide stops working, a patient might go back to Revlimid and, even after the other two similar, more advanced drugs stop working, thalidomide may work again anyway.

Medpage Today just ran an article about anti-cancer related advances from ASCO.  I always find it interesting to take a look at what more general cancer related sites consider noteworthy about the world of multiple myeloma.  This extensive article only featured one myeloma related study from ASCO:

Here are course notes from the class I completed yesterday, Optimal Management Strategies and Novel Agents in Multiple Myeloma, specifically the section about clinical trials and new drug combination strategies:

I completed an advanced multiple myeloma related course this morning, Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Options for Subsequent Therapy: Optimal Management Strategies and Novel Agents in Multiple Myeloma,
By: Amitabha Mazumder, MD.  Dr. Mazumder is Professor of Medicine at NY Medical College.

Here is the daily “fix” for you myeloma techno junkies out there who have requested more study results for ASH:

I have now been using Revlimid (lenalidomide) for 27 consecutive months and it is still working! But how does it work? Lenalidomide is an immune-modulating therapy that acts to improve the immune system. Administered orally, lenalidomide also helps block the blood supply to cancer cells so that tumors cannot grow. Lenalidomide is molecular variation, or analogue, of it’s predessessor, thalidomide. The new drug I referenced several posts ago, pomalidomide (Actimid), is an analogue to lenalidomide. The great news is, although all three of these drugs are similar, they all have the potential of working at different times in the same patient. Translated: If you start using lenalidomide and it eventually stops working, you have a great chance of using pamalidomide successfully next. And if that stops working, a patient might try thalidomide and, even after the other two similar, more advanced drugs stop working, thalidomide may work anyway.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat