The aim of this review is to evaluate the current status of first line treatment in multiple myeloma. Asymptomatic patients should not receive treatment at diagnosis. However, symptomatic patients (anemia, hypercalcemia, deterioration in renal function, lytic lesions or extramedullary plasmacytomas, increase of M-component in serum or urine) should receive treatment as soon as possible. Patients younger than 65-70 years old with good performance status, no concurrent diseases and normal renal function are possible candidates for consolidation using high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem-cell transplantation. Therefore, they should not receive drugs that could potentially interfere with stem-cell mobilization (such as alkylating agents). Thus, their treatment options are: dexamethasone, VAD and thalidomide (with or without dexamethasone). Thalidomide should be preferentially used in the context of clinical trials due to increased risks of neuropathy and thrombosis. Patients older than 65-70 years old and those with bad performance status, concurrent diseases or deterioration of renal function can receive alkylating agents (such as melphalan/prednisone) because they are not candidates for stem cell transplantation. The aim of their treatment is to reach a disease plateau with low toxicity rates. Other alkylating agents, thalidomide and corticosteroid combinations have higher response rates than melphalan/prednisone however, these combinations present more side effects and do not increase overall survival.
Multiple myeloma; treatment; chemotherapy
