Combination of intermediate doses of thalidomide with dexamethasone is an effective treatment for patients with refractory/relapsed MM

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of intermediate doses of thalidomide with dexamethasone (Thal/Dex) on disease course and bone disease in patients with refractory/relapsed myeloma who were under zoledronic acid therapy. We studied 35 patients, who received thalidomide at a dose of 200 mg/daily. We measured, pre-, 3 and 6 months post-treatment soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (sRANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), osteopontin (OPN), markers of bone resorption and formation. Before treatment, patients had increased levels of sRANKL/OPG ratio, bone resorption markers and OPN, while they had suppressed bone formation. The pretreatment sRANKL/OPG ratio correlated with the extent of bone disease. Thal/Dex administration resulted in a significant reduction of sRANKL/OPG ratio, and bone resorption. Bone formation, OPG and OPN did not show any alteration. Changes of sRANKL/OPG ratio correlated with changes of bone resorption markers. Thal/Dex was given for a median time of 10 months and the median follow-up period was 22 months. The response rate was 65.7%. The median survival was 19.5 months. beta(2)-microglobulin, type of response and International Staging System predicted for survival. These results suggest that the combination of intermediate dose of Thal/Dex is effective in patients with refractory/relapsed myeloma and improves abnormal bone remodeling through the reduction of sRANKL/OPG ratio.Leukemia advance online publication, 4 August 2005; doi:10.1038/sj.leu.2403890

Terpos E, Mihou D, Szydlo R, Tsimirika K, Karkantaris C, Politou M, Voskaridou E, Rahemtulla A, Dimopoulos MA, Zervas K.

[1] 1Department of Hematology, 251 General Airforce Hospital, Athens, Greece [2] 2Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medicine Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK