[Treatment of transplant-ineligible patients with multiple myeloma]

The therapeutic goal of transplant-ineligible (TI) patients with multiple myeloma should be to prolong survival and keep quality of life by achieving good clinical response. The introduction of novel agents such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib for the treatment of TI multiple myeloma patients has improved the clinical outcome. Maintenance therapy with novel agents is emerging as a new treatment strategy to sustain the disease control; however, its implications are still controversial. Recently, non-alkylator induction regimens such as lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone provide excellent clinical outcome, suggesting that prolonged continuous treatment extend the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with TI multiple myeloma.