Dexamethasone, all trans retinoic acid and interferon alpha 2a in patients with refractory multiple myeloma

Few effective regimen are available for patients with refractory multiple myeloma (RMM). Generally, responses are scarce and disease free survival is very short. We developed a new therapeutic option in these patients using dexamethasone (40 mg/m2, i.v., daily, days 1 to 4), all-trans retinoic acid (45 mg/m2, po, daily, days 5 to 14) and interferon alpha 2a (9.0 MU, daily, subcutaneously, days 5 to 14). The treatment was administered every 21 days for 6 cycles. In a pilot study, 12 patients, heavily treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy and in some cases with interferon, were allocated to receive the afore mentioned treatment. Response was observed in 10 patients (83%). With a median follow-up of 36.1 months (range 27 to 41), seven patients remain alive and disease-free without any treatment. Two patients were failures and have died due to tumor progression. Toxicity was mild and all patients received treatment according to the planned doses of drugs. The use of biological modifiers in combination with dexamethasone offer a safe and effective therapeutic option in patients with refractory multiple myeloma. More studies are warranted to define the role of this type of treatment.