Efficacy And Safety Of Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation After Induction Therapy With Lenalidomide, Bortezomib, And Dexamethasone

Objectives Recently, phase III trials assessed a new combination of lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (RVD) in induction therapy in transplantation-eligible multiple myeloma (MM) patients, before consolidation with RVD and lenalidomide maintenance. We present a retrospective study evaluating this approach with patients from the real life. Methods We conducted a retrospective single-arm study to assess efficacy and safety of RVD combination in induction therapy before high-dose chemotherapy with melphalan followed by autologous stem cell transplantation, and RVD consolidation followed by lenalidomide maintenance, from February 2011 to May 2016. Results Forty patients were enrolled. The mean age at diagnosis was 56 years. Median progression-free survival was 45 months, and median overall survival was 76 months. The only factor found associated with better PFS was a negative minimal residual disease (P < .01). Twenty-six (65%) patients experimented adverse events: 8 patients (20%) underwent 12 serious AE (>= grade 3). Treatment discontinuation occurred in 2 patients (5%) because of severe AE. Conclusion To our knowledge, this work provides the first evidence of the efficacy and the safety of RVD combination in patients treated in common practice.