Letter: Maintenance therapy in myeloma: risk versus benefit.

Maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma

The treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) has changed dramatically in the past twenty years with the introduction of high-dose therapy plus autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in younger patients and, more recently, of three novel agents (thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide). When conventional chemotherapy was the only available possibility, complete responses (CR) were very rare and...

Benefit versus risk.

Posttransplantation maintenance therapy and optimal frontline therapy in myeloma.

One of the major efforts to improve the results of intensive therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in multiple myeloma involves the integration of novel agents into the transplantation sequence. This can include their administration before, during, and after the transplantation procedure. Several phase 2 and 3 studies have evaluated the use of novel agents as part of induction...

Male circumcision: risk versus benefit.

Ancient wall paintings and mummies record the practice of male circumcision 6000 years ago. Its origins remain obscure but are variously derived from religion, ritual and culture. Today, surgical indications for circumcision are either therapeutic, to treat established conditions such as balanitis xerotica obliterans, or preventive. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) radically ch...

The role of maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is the second most common type of blood cancer and remains incurable despite advances in therapy. Current therapy for multiple myeloma includes a phased-approach, often consisting of initial induction therapy, consolidation and maintenance therapy. With an ever-growing landscape of treatment options, the approach to optimal therapy has become increasingly complex. Specifically,...