Efficacy versus toxicity of new therapies: does there need to be a trade off?

Prof Meletios Dimopoulos, Prof Jesús San Miguel, Prof Pieter Sonneveld and Prof Heinz Ludwig discuss several new issues that were highlighted during the 13th International Myeloma Workshop in Paris, including the treatment of patients who are eligible for transplantation, including the data presented at the meeting by Prof Palumbo which compared MPR versus high dose melphalan, demonstrating progression free survival (PFS) in favour of early transplantation.

Prof Sonneveld also discusses his induction treatment data presented during the meeting, and suggests the induction regimen of choice should be bortezomib (Velcade) based and preferably a triple drug regimen for three or four cycles.

The expert panel also discuss the role of maintenance with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and the potential risk of secondary malignancies following the session ‘Secondary malignancies in myeloma; an emerging issue?’

Professor Meletious Dimopoulos – University Athens, Greece
Professor Jesús San Miguel - University Hospital of Salamanca, Spain
Professor Pieter Sonneveld - Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
Professor Heinz Ludwig - Wilhelminenspital, Center for Oncology and Hematology, Vienna, Austria

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