Background/aim: Here, we investigated whether bortezomib as a maintenance therapy affected outcomes in transplant-ineligible patients with multiple myeloma (MM).
Patients and methods: Following induction therapy with bortezomib, maintenance therapy with bortezomib (1.3 mg/m 2 ) and dexamethasone (20 mg) was administered once or twice every 4 weeks until disease progression. The endpoints of this study were time to next treatment and overall survival.
Results: Seventy-six newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible patients were treated with a bortezomib-based regimen; 28 discontinued induction therapy, 27 did not receive maintenance therapy after induction therapy (the non-maintenance group), and 21 did (the maintenance group). In the three groups, the median times to the next required treatment were 3, 14, and 37 months, respectively. The 3-year overall survival rates were 55%, 69%, and 85%, respectively. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between the non-maintenance and maintenance groups, except for poorer estimated glomerular filtration rates in the maintenance group.
Conclusion: Bortezomib maintenance therapy may be a useful option for transplant-ineligible patients with MM.
Keywords: Multiple myeloma; bortezomib; maintenance therapy; prognosis.
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