Phase III Study of the Value of Thalidomide Added to Melphalan Plus Prednisone in Elderly Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: The HOVON 49 Study

Abstract

Purpose For several decades, the treatment of elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has consisted of melphalan and prednisone (MP). The Dutch-Belgium Hemato-Oncology Cooperative Group (HOVON) investigated the efficacy of thalidomide added to MP (MP-T) in a randomized phase III trial. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy, toxicity, and effects on quality of life of MP-T. Patients and Methods A randomized phase III trial compared standard MP with MP-T (thalidomide 200 mg/d) in newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma older than age 65 years. Maintenance therapy with thalidomide 50 mg/d was administered to patients after MP-T until relapse. The primary end point was event-free survival (EFS); response rate, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were secondary end points. Results An intent-to-treat analysis of 333 evaluable patients showed significantly higher response rates in MP-T–treated patients compared with MP-treated patients a response (≥ partial...