Thalidomide breakthrough for myeloma
Changing treatment for multiple myeloma 'could improve survival'
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Friday, 05, Oct 2007 05:38
Adding thalidomide to the standard treatment for elderly patients with a type of cancer of plasma cells significantly improves survival, research reveals today.
A study published in the Lancet today claims the drug could extend life by 18 months.
Every year in the UK almost 3,800 cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed, causing 2,400 deaths annually.
This type of cancer develops from cells in the bone marrow called plasma cells and can be in several places in the body.
Combination chemotherapy with melphalan and prednisone (MP) is currently the standard treatment for multiple myeloma, but the Lancet says the addition of thalidomide could prove beneficial.
Researchers from the University of Lille and the Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome studied different treatments' effects on 447 patients newly-diagnosed with multiple myeloma aged between 65 and 75.
Of this group, 196 received MP; 125 received MP plus thalidomide (MPT); and 126 received reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation using melphalan (MEL100).
After an average follow-up of over four years, the researchers found that median overall survival times were 33.2 months for MP, 51.6 months for MPT, and 38.3 for MEL100.
Commenting on the study, Professor Gareth Morgan from the Royal Marsden hospital, London, said the results will have an "enormous impact" on how multiple myeloma is treated in the future.
"It redefines the standard treatment for patients with multiple myeloma, and makes the combination of melphalan-predisone-thalidomide the gold standard," he said.
"Improvement in cancer survival is usually measured in weeks, not months, so this is very significant data. An extra 18 months of life can make a lot of difference to my patients and their families," he added.
Eric Low, chief executive of Myeloma UK said: "Thalidomide is undoubtedly an important treatment for patients. It is given orally, has flexible administration and has manageable side-effects.
"However, patients should not have to receive unlicensed treatments. Thalidomide should be licensed to ensure safety, prevent unregulated supply and impose better regulation, and also help address inconsistent approaches to prescribing and improve patient access to thalidomide in the UK."