title: Post-transplantation consolidation and maintenance therapy with lenalidomide for Japanese patients with multiple myeloma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Post-autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) consolidation and maintenance therapies in multiple myeloma (MM) have recently been the central focus of studies. However, there have been no reports of Japanese patients with MM treated with post-ASCT consolidation/maintenance therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated eight Japanese patients with newly-diagnosed symptomatic MM who received ASCT after high-dose melphalan, and three to four courses of bortezomib-plus-dexamethasone and two courses of lenalidomide-plus-dexamethasone followed by maintenance lenalidomide for 6-24 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four patients achieved complete response (CR) after ASCT, and five patients (63%) achieved stringent CR after the consolidation and maintenance therapy; two out of these five were in molecular CR. At the median follow-up of 38 months, all patients were alive and only one patient had disease progression following post-ASCT therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Post-ASCT consolidation and maintenance therapy using lenalidomide may be effective in the treatment of Japanese patients with MM.
authors: Cellular Transplantation Biology, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8641, Japan. takamaz@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Takamatsu
authors: Saori
authors: S
authors: Munemoto
authors: Ryoichi
authors: R
authors: Murata
authors: Yasushi
authors: Y
authors: Terasaki
authors: Kenichi
authors: K
authors: Nakajima
authors: Shinji
authors: S
authors: Nakao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001897:Boronic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000069286:Bortezomib; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D000077269:Lenalidomide; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning
chemical_list: D001897:Boronic Acids; D011719:Pyrazines; D013792:Thalidomide; D000069286:Bortezomib; D003907:Dexamethasone; D000077269:Lenalidomide; D008558:Melphalan
keywords: Multiple myeloma; autologous stem-cell transplantation; bortezomib; consolidation and maintenance therapy; lenalidomide