Study shows promise of post-transplant treatment for multiple myeloma patients

A new study provides promising results regarding a maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma patients who have received a stem cell transplant. Patients with this cancer, in which the plasma cells in bone marrow grow out of control, frequently receive stem cells transplants, but the cancer can continue to progress. A new long-term therapy called lenalidomide, which can be taken orally for months or even years, was found to increase the probability of surviving free of disease progression for three years to 59 percent, compared with 35 percent in the placebo group. “While lenalidomide has some risks, including an increase in people developing second cancers, it  generally appears to be well-tolerated when given long-term and was associated with a delay in time to progression of the myeloma as well as an improvement in overall survival,” Thomas Shea, a co-author on the clinical trial, said.