Hematologic Malignancies

Touch MEdical MEdia 43 Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell disease that comprises 1 % of all cancers and 10 % of hematologic malignancies. It primarily affects older individuals—the median age at the moment of diagnosis is 70 years—and two-thirds of multiple myeloma patients are over 65 years of age when they are first diagnosed. The outcome of MM patients has significantly improved in the last decade. However, the main benefit has accrued to young patients, due to the introduction of high-dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) that are upfront and novel agents as rescue therapy, while only a marginal change has been observed in patients older than 65 years. However, the availability of new frontline treatment regimens based on the novel agents thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide has extended the options for transplant-ineligible MM patients.