Bortezomib for previously untreated multiple myeloma

Abstract

The treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved rapidly over recent years. The availability of new effective drugs with novel mechanisms of action, such as bortezomib, in the last decade have resulted in a new scenario expected to impact favorably on the outcome of MM patients. In the transplant and nontransplant setting, several randomized trials have shown that front-line treatment with bortezomib-based combinations are superior to conventional treatment and have allowed for a significant increase of complete response rate, with a positive impact on progression-free survival. Furthermore, this drug appears to be active in patients with high-risk disease and comorbidities. Thus, bortezomib-containing regimens are now considered as a new standard of care for newly diagnosed myeloma patients. In this article, we will attempt to overview the results of bortezomib when administered as a standard component of front-line therapy for MM patients.

Keywords::

• bortezomib
• front-line therapy
• multiple myeloma
• proteosome

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.