Prof Michele Cavo discusses his research showing that consolidation therapy with Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTD) is more effective than consolidation therapy with thalidomide and dexamethasone (TD) alone. Newly diagnosed myeloma patients received treatment with either VTD or TD as induction therapy prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and again as consolidation therapy after stem cell transplantation. The VTD consolidation yielded more high-quality responses and was associated with a tolerable toxicity profile. Prof Cavo also talks about the development of double ASCT for particular subsets of multiple myeloma patients and explains how the addition of proteasome inhibitors to induction regimens affects response rate.

This programme has been supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Janssen Pharmaceutica (A Johnson & Johnson Company).