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An Organotypic High Throughput System for Characterization of Drug Sensitivity of Primary Multiple Myeloma Cells
Published on: July 15, 2015
First clinical experience with simvastatin to overcome drug resistance in refractory multiple myeloma
Ralf Schmidmaier1, Philipp Baumann, Irmgard Bumeder
1Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik Innenstadt - Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany. ralf.schmidmaier@med.uni-muenchen.de
Abstract:
In vitro statins overcome cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance at non-toxic concentrations that are achievable in humans by standard dose simvastatin. A pilot phase-II trial was initiated to determine feasibility and antimyeloma efficacy. In six myeloma patients refractory to two cycles of bortezomib or bendamustine simvastatin was concomitantly administered during further two cycles. The therapy was well tolerated without grade 3/4 toxicity. Intrapatient (cycles I/II vs. III/IV) and interpatient comparison (vs. ten patients without simvastatin) showed reduction of drug resistance by inhibition of HMG-CoA-reductase. In summary, this is the first phase II experience to study antimyeloma activity of statins in humans.
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