[Therapy of multiple myeloma and its complications]

A dramatic improvement in the prognosis of multiple myeloma has been obtained since treatment with alkylating agents was introduced in the sixties. In recent years much effort has been made to ameliorate the obtained results by employing polychemotherapy schedules of treatment. However, no significant improvements with respect to the conventional melphalan-prednisone treatment, in terms of survival duration, have been observed. New therapeutic approaches, such as the use of biological response modifiers and the autologous or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation offer new perspectives for multiple myeloma patients. In this paper we discuss current trends in the therapy of multiple myeloma and of related complications.