EMMA 2016 | Changing the standard of care for elderly multiple myeloma patients

María-Victoria Mateos, MD, PhD of University Hospital of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain discusses the treatment of elderly multiple myeloma (MM) patients at the 2016 European Multiple Myeloma Academy (EMMA) in Madrid, Spain. According to Dr Mateos, elderly patients are not candidates for an autologous stem cell transplantation. In the past, treatment with melphalan and prednisone was the standard of care. The introduction of novel agents improved the outcome for elderly myeloma patients and, currently, there are two standards of care; bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone (VMP) as well as continous treatment with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd). The Spanish Myeloma Group conducted a Phase III trial combining both VMP and Rd in elderly patients and Dr Mateos summarises the results (NCT00443235). Dr Mateos also points out that new agents will arrive in the near future for the treatment of elderly patients. She further highlights the prospect of building new regiments around lenalidomide and dexamethasone; she believes that the new standards of care will be based on lenalidomide and dexamethasone for continuous therapy plus novel agents, such as carfilzomib, elotuzumab, daratumumab and ixazomib.
This programme has been supported by Celgene and Amgen through an unrestricted educational grant to the Video Journal of Hematological Oncology.