Recent advance of small-molecule drugs for clinical treatment of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic neoplasm of plasma cells that is currently deemed incurable. Despite the introduction of novel immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors, MM remains a challenging disease with high rates of relapse and refractoriness. The management of refractory and relapsed MM patients remains a formidable task, primarily due to the emergence of multiple drug resistance. Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic agents to address this clinical challenge. In recent years, a significant amount of research has been dedicated to the discovery of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of MM. The clinical utilization of proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib and immunomodulator pomalidomide has been successively introduced. As basic research continues to advance, novel therapeutic agents, including panobinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, and selinexor, a nuclear export inhibitor, have progressed to the clinical trial and application phase. This review aims to furnish a comprehensive survey of the clinical applications and synthetic pathways of select drugs, with the intention of imparting valuable insights for future drug research and development geared towards MM.