Triple Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Myeloma

Combination regimens have improved outcomes in myeloma therapy. To test the benefit of adding the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib to standard lenalidomide plus dexamethasone, investigators conducted an industry-sponsored, prospective, multicenter, phase III trial involving 525 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients without intent for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in first remission.

Patients received either triple therapy with eight 21-day cycles of bortezomib (1.3 mg/m² intravenously on days 1, 4, 8, and 11), lenalidomide (25 mg/day on days 1–14), and dexamethasone (20 mg/day on days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, and 12) or dual therapy with six 28-day cycles of lenalidomide (25 mg/day on days 1–21) and dexamethasone (40 mg weekly)…