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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Responses to treatment continued for 19.9 months among those given Velcade, compared to 13.1 months for those not given the drug.
"The benefit of Velcade was not only observed in good-risk patients, but also in high-risk patients," San Miguel said. "We now have a new standard of care for newly diagnosed patients."
Dr. Bart Kamen, chief medical officer of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thinks this new drug combination could be a real benefit for myeloma patients who aren't eligible for high-dose chemotherapy or a transplant.
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"We are in a new era in the treatment of myeloma," Kamen said. "We have a new paradigm of relatively easy drugs compared to the usual chemotherapy, which is adding to quality of life and longevity in myeloma. That's a big deal."
Kamen believes this new treatment and others being developed may make myeloma a chronic condition that can be controlled. "The future, with repetitive doses of lower doses of medicine to control the myeloma, is clearly surfacing," he said.
Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, agreed that this new treatment is a viable option for patients who are ineligible for standard myeloma treatment.
"It's an exciting time in the treatment of myeloma, and this treatment represents a significant additional option for patients with myeloma who are not candidates for transplant, those who are over 65 or may have other significant illnesses that prevent them from being considered for transplant," Lichtenfeld said.
Until recently, myeloma was a disease with a very limited life expectancy, Lichtenfeld said. "Now, with all the new treatments we have, be it the bone marrow transplant or whether it be the use of the newer drugs, the outlook for myeloma patients has improved considerably," he said.
These treatments don't mean the disease can be cured, Lichtenfeld said. "But we are clearly in a situation where we have made substantial progress," he said.
More information
To learn more about multiple myeloma, visit the American Cancer Society.
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