New treatment strategies for multiple myeloma

During the past 5 years, several new treatments and strategies have been developed for patients with multiple myeloma. For patients with disease resistant to standard therapies, these include the VAD regimen, dexamethasone alone, high-dose melphalan, and intensive chemoradiotherapy with bone marrow transplantation. Alpha interferon appears to have its greatest potential as part of early induction therapy or during remission maintenance. The role of hemopoietic growth factors or blood stem cells in support of high-dose therapy and drugs that may overcome multiple drug resistance continues under study. A sequence of non-cross resistant therapies early in the disease course seems worthy of investigation, especially in patients at high risk for early relapse.