title: [Management of multiple myeloma].
abstract: Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable malignancy, the median overal survival of patients receiving conventional chemotherapy being only 36-60 months. MGUS can evolve to MM in a percentage of 0.6-3% per year. The therapeutic management of multiple myeloma (MM) for the last several decades has mainly involved regimens based on use of glucocorticoids and cytotoxic chemotherapeutics. Melphaln and Prednisone (MP) are recognized as the classic treatment of MM. In patients candidate to bone marrow transplantation, VAD (Vincrisrine, Adriamicin, Dexamethasone) regimen is more indicated because it does not cause stem cell injury. High dose chemotherapy and and Autologous stem cells transplantation represent the best treatment for patients with MM who are younger than 65 years and free of severe comorbidities. Thalidomide alone or in combination with steroids has significant activity in multiple myeloma (MM). After the role of thalidomide in the management of patients with advanced or refractory MM had been established, many studies are evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of thalidomide as first-line therapy for patients with newly diagnosed disease. Recent studies have enhanced our understanding of disease pathogenesis and also provided the framework for a new treatment paradigm targeting the MM cell in its bone marrow microenvironment to overcome drug resistance and improve patient outcome. Clinical trials are confirming the remarkable activity and improved tolerability of some of the new agents identified through this paradigm.
authors.affiliation: Divisione Clinicizzata di Ematologia, Ospedale Ferrarotto, Catania. diraimon@unict.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Raimondo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pennisi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bari
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fiumara
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Palumbo
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*