Abstract

The treatment for multiple myeloma has undergone many changes over the past decade. Intensive therapy with autologous stem-cell support has improved the clinical outcome significantly in younger patients. Reduced intensity conditioning regimens have lowered the high treatment-related mortality of myeloablative allogeneic transplantation. New effective anti-myeloma drugs such as bortezomib and thalidomide analogues have become available. These new developments have made it necessary to formulate recommendations to facilitate decisions concerning the management of myeloma patients. The Myeloma Working Party of the Dutch Haemato-Oncology Association (Stichting Haemato-Oncologie voor Volwassenen Nederland) has developed therapy guidelines based on phase-II and phase-III studies as well as the expertise of the working party. These include upfront induction therapy followed by autologous transplantation for patients aged up to 65 years and oral melphalanprednisone treatment for patients with severe co-morbidities and patients over the age of 65 years. Patients under the age of 66 with an HLA-identical (family) donor are candidates for non-myeloablative stem-cell transplantation following autologous stem-cell transplantation. For second-line treatment, thalidomide, combined with dexamethasone is recommended. Younger patients responding to second-line treatment are candidates for a second autologous transplant. Bortezomib is indicated for those patients refractory to the previous two lines of treatment. All patients should receive long-term bisphosphonates. Erythropoietin may be considered in symptomatic anaemia as well as antibiotic prophylaxis during induction therapy which includes dexamethasone.