Abstract
The multiple myeloma (MM) has an incidence of 3-4/100,000 in the Caucasian population. MM has to be distinguished from smouldering MM and monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS). In younger patients (<65 years) a good long-term remission is the aim of therapy, while in the elderly patients with comorbidities the aim is a good partial remission with good quality of life. In the elderly this can be achieved with a combination of melphalan and prednisone. High-dose chemotherapy, often as a tandem transplantation, is part of standard therapy of MM patients <65 years. However, allogeneic stem cell transplantation is the only curative approach. New substances approved for treatment of relapsed MM include bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide.
MeSH terms
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
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Boronic Acids / administration & dosage
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Boronic Acids / adverse effects
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Bortezomib
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Combined Modality Therapy
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Diphosphonates / administration & dosage
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Diphosphonates / adverse effects
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
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Humans
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Lenalidomide
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Melphalan / administration & dosage
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Melphalan / adverse effects
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Multiple Myeloma / drug therapy*
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Multiple Myeloma / pathology
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Neoplasm Staging
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Prednisone / administration & dosage
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Prednisone / adverse effects
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Pyrazines / administration & dosage
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Pyrazines / adverse effects
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Remission Induction
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Thalidomide / administration & dosage
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Thalidomide / adverse effects
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Thalidomide / analogs & derivatives
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Tumor Burden
Substances
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Boronic Acids
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Diphosphonates
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Pyrazines
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Thalidomide
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Bortezomib
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Lenalidomide
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Melphalan
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Prednisone