HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Time to first disease progression, but not beta2-microglobulin, predicts outcome in myeloma patients who receive thalidomide as salvage therapy.

AbstractBACKGROUND:
Baseline parameters that may be predictive of outcome after thalidomide treatment have been investigated to identify which myeloma patient subgroups will most benefit from this drug.
METHODS:
Thalidomide has been used as a salvage regimen at the study institution since 1999. A total of 102 myeloma patients who were diagnosed between January 1999 and February 2005 were evaluable for intention-to-treat analysis; 78 patients received thalidomide (at a dose of 100 mg/day continuously) and dexamethasone (at a dose of 40 mg/day on Days 1-4 each month) (TD) as salvage treatment whereas 24 patients died or were lost to follow-up before the initiation of TD. Several parameters such as serum beta2-microglobulin, serum C-reactive protein, immunoglobulin A isotype, hemoglobin, stage of disease, bone marrow plasmacytosis, age, serum creatinine, gender, stem cell transplantation at the time of diagnosis, and time to first disease progression were analyzed in association with overall survival (OS).
RESULTS:
The OS from the time of diagnosis was 43.8 months. Using univariate analysis, factors found to be associated with a shorter OS were a creatinine level > or =2 mg/dL (P = .05), stage III (P = .04), and time to first disease progression < or =12 months (P < .0001). The only factor that remained significantly associated with a shorter OS in multivariate models was time to first disease progression < or =12 months (P = .0006). Elevated serum beta2-microglobulin was not found to be predictive of poor OS.
CONCLUSIONS:
Time to first disease progression >12 months was found to be the best indicator of OS. Elevated serum beta2-microglobulin, generally considered to be a poor prognostic factor, was not found to be predictive of outcome.
AuthorsAntonio Palumbo, Sara Bringhen, Patrizia Falco, Federica Cavallo, Maria Teresa Ambrosini, Ilaria Avonto, Francesca Gay, Tommaso Caravita, Benedetto Bruno, Mario Boccadoro
JournalCancer (Cancer) Vol. 110 Issue 4 Pg. 824-9 (Aug 15 2007) ISSN: 0008-543X [Print] United States
PMID17594696 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • beta 2-Microglobulin
  • Thalidomide
  • Dexamethasone
  • C-Reactive Protein
  • Creatinine
Topics
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (therapeutic use)
  • C-Reactive Protein (analysis)
  • Creatinine (blood)
  • Dexamethasone (administration & dosage)
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Myeloma (blood, drug therapy, pathology)
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prognosis
  • Salvage Therapy
  • Survival Analysis
  • Thalidomide (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • beta 2-Microglobulin (blood)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: