Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun 10;22(8):65.
doi: 10.1007/s11864-021-00864-x.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with High-Risk Multiple Myeloma: Utopia or Continuous Challenge in Aiming for Cure?

Panayotis Kaloyannidis  1 , John Apostolidis  2
Affiliations
Review

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with High-Risk Multiple Myeloma: Utopia or Continuous Challenge in Aiming for Cure?

Panayotis Kaloyannidis et al. Curr Treat Options Oncol. .

Abstract

Nowadays, several novel agents have been introduced in the treatment of multiple myeloma, not only resulting in high response rates and prolonged survival but also offering good quality of life. However, the potential of cure, especially for patients with advanced or unfavorable disease features, remains elusive. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, based mainly on the graft vs. myeloma effect, can offer prolonged disease control and probability of cure but unfortunately at the cost of considerable transplant-related toxicity rates. Therefore, the role of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of multiple myeloma has been called into question. Recently, several studies, particularly those with long-term follow-up, demonstrated a trend of survival superiority for allografted patients with high-risk disease. These data fuel again the interest in allogeneic stem cell transplantation for selected patients with high-risk multiple myeloma, especially if the high remission rates which can be achieved with the currently used treatment protocols could be long-life sustained through the additional exploitation of the long-lasting anti-multiple myeloma effect, originating from the allograft.

Keywords: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation; Multiple myeloma; Refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

References and Recommended Reading

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Ocio EM, Richardson PG, Rajkumar SV, Palumbo A, Mateos MV, Orlowski R, et al. New drugs and novel mechanisms of action in multiple myeloma in 2013: a report from the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG). Leukemia. 2014;28(3):525–42. - PubMed
    1. Rajkumar SV. Multiple myeloma: 2016 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management. Am J Hematol. 2016;91(7):719–34. - PubMed - PMC
    1. Kumar SK, Lee JH, Lahuerta JJ, Morgan G, Richardson PG, Crowley J, et al. Risk of progression and survival in multiple myeloma relapsing after therapy with IMiDs and bortezomib: a multicenter International Myeloma Working Group study. Leukemia. 2012;26(1):149–57. - PubMed
    1. Rosiñol L, Pérez-Simón JA, Sureda A, de la Rubia J, de Arriba F, Lahuerta JJ, et al. A prospective PETHEMA study of tandem autologous transplantation versus autograft followed by reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic transplantation in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Blood. 2008;112(9):3591–3. - PubMed
    1. Bruno B, Rotta M, Patriarca F, Mordini N, Allione B, Carnevale-Schianca F, et al. A comparison of allografting with autografting for newly diagnosed myeloma. N Engl J Med. 2007;356(11):1110–20. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources