VAD protocol for treatment of advanced refractory multiple myeloma

Twenty-three patients with advanced refractory multiple myeloma were treated with a combination chemotherapeutic regimen consisting of four-day continuous infusion of vincristine and doxorubicin plus intermittent high-dose dexamethasone (VAD). All patients included in the study were heavily pretreated with cytostatics and radiotherapeutic measures, and generally presented in poor general condition. In 3 of the 16 evaluable patients (18%) a response, and in 7 patients (44%) an improvement as defined by a reduction in tumor mass by more than 50% was achieved. Six patients had progressive disease. Evaluation of survival for responders (15 mos) versus non-responders (2 mos) by the landmark method seems to confirm the relative therapeutic efficacy of the VAD protocol in refractory multiple myeloma. The somewhat inferior response rate as well as the occurrence of considerable toxicity in several cases (when compared to the recent M. D. Anderson trial) may be related to differences in clinical features and pretreatment status of the two studies' population.