A team of investigators from Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has shown outstanding long term survival results for multiple myeloma patients from a 3-drug induction regimen in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The study describes the largest cohort of patients treated with a combination of lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (RVD) with the longest follow up reported to date.
The study followed 1,000 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed myeloma, both transplantation-eligible and -ineligible, who were treated with RVD induction therapy from January 2007 until August 2016.
“Looking at a large cohort of patients over a long period of time, we were able to provide a more comprehensive picture of the overall treatment course with RVD as induction therapy,” senior author and Winship hematologist, Ajay K. Nooka, said in a statement.. “We have seen our patients attain excellent results from RVD, so it’s gratifying to corroborate those results in this study.”
The study describes the RVD induction regimen as part of the significant therapeutic advances in myeloma over the past few decades that have led to an improved survival benefit for patients.
“Our study demonstrates not only the efficacy of the RVD induction regimen in attaining deep responses, but also the benefit of risk-stratified and continuous maintenance therapy in positively impacting long-term survival,” first author and Winship hematologist Nisha S. Joseph, said in a statement.
The study’s outcomes are based on genetic risk at diagnosis, progression-free survival, overall survival, and the impact of genetics on the quality and depth of response. African American patients made up 35.2% of study participants, which is consistent with the demographics of the myeloma population served by Winship.
“Large data sets like ours with 352 African-American patients receiving uniform therapy help to reassure that AA patients derive a similar benefit as their white counterparts if offered the same therapeutic care,” Nooka and Joseph said.
