title: Primary treatment with pulsed melphalan, dexamethasone and thalidomide for elderly symptomatic patients with multiple myeloma.
abstract: Fifty patients with multiple myeloma >or=75 years of age received primary treatment with melphalan (M) 8 mg/m(2) on days 1-4, dexamethasone (D) 12 mg/m2 on days 1-4 and 17-20 and thalidomide (T) 300 mg at bedtime on days 1-4 and 17-20. This regimen was repeated every 5 weeks for three courses. Patients without evidence of disease progression received nine additional courses of MDT, but without DT on days 17-20, every 5 weeks. Sixty-two percent of patients achieved a partial response and 10% a complete response. The median time to response was 2 months. The median time to progression for all patients was 21.2 months. Deep venous thrombosis and peripheral neuropathy each occurred in 9% of patients.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Clinical Therapeutics, University of Athens School of Medicine. mdimop@med.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Meletios A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dimopoulos
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anagnostopoulos
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Terpos
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Repoussis
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zomas
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katodritou
authors.forename: Marie Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kyrtsonis
authors.forename: Souzana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delibasi
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vassou
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pouli
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zervas
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Anagnostopoulos
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maniatis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D012074:Remission Induction; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D013792:Thalidomide; D003907:Dexamethasone; D008558:Melphalan