New Standards are Emerging: News from the 2007 ASCO Meeting

New and updated data on the use of novel therapeutics in combination therapy in patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma were presented at the2007 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology(ASCO), June 1 through 5, in Chicago, Illinois. Results from the E4A03 ECOG trial of lenalidomide plus either high- or low-dose dexamethasone in newly diagnosed patients demonstrated the advantages of low-dose dexamethasone. Additional data were presented from the DOXIL-MMY-3002 trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®) plus bortezomib in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma who had received at least one prior therapy. In addition, there was an educational session on optimizing the therapy for multiple myeloma; discussions on risk-based approaches to therapy;insights into the natural history of myeloma; updates of other clinical trials; and reports on agents in development.