title: Short-course bortezomib-based retreatment for patients with multiple myeloma who had received bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (VTD) as an initial therapy: A single-center case series.
abstract: Studies have shown that the bortezomib-based retreatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) may prolong control of the disease. The optimal duration of bortezomib-based retreatment in relapsed or refractory MM is unknown. The present retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of short-course bortezomib-based retreatment in patients who had received bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (VTD) treatment for the initial therapy of newly diagnosed MM. The clinical records of 20 patients who had received short-course bortezomib-based retreatment in a single center were reviewed. Patients received a median of two cycles of bortezomib as the retreatment and the overall response rate was 90%. Six (30%), eight (40%) and four (20%) patients achieved a complete response (CR), a very good partial response and a partial response, respectively. Of the 10 patients who had achieved a CR during the initial VTD treatment, six experienced a repeat CR during the retreatment. The median duration of the response was nine months and the median time to progression was 10.5 months. The most common grade I and II adverse events were thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. The short-course bortezomib-based retreatment was well tolerated and the favorable response rates observed suggest that it may be an effective and convenient treatment option for certain patients, particularly elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jingjue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuanqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuanxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongfeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
keywords: bortezomib-based regimen; multiple myeloma; resistance; retreatment