Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of targeted agents used as monotherapy or combined therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM).
Methods: The systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library till 27 May 2013.
Results: Four randomized controlled trials were included. The meta-analysis showed that combined therapy significantly improved progression-free survival compared with monotherapy (P < 0.05). However, there was not a significant difference between monotherapy and combined therapy in overall survival (P > 0.05). The combined therapy also significantly increased the risk of serious adverse events and grade 3/4 AEs compared to monotherapy (P < 0.05). Overall, the results of comparisons between monotherapy and combined therapy in individual trials were differentiated, and some combinations were not more effective than monotherapy (bortezomib plub bevacizumab vs. bortezomib and thalidomide plus INFα vs. thalidomide) which emphasizes the role of individualized therapy in relapsed/refractory MM especially in the elderly or patients with significant comorbidities.
Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis showed that combined therapy is superior to monotherapy only in some end points and it is less tolerated in patients with relapsed/refractory MM. Thus, the overall superiority of complex therapy to monotherapy depends on the combination of the targeted agents.
Keywords: Relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma; Systematic review and meta-analysis; Targeted therapy.