First thalidomide clinical trial in multiple myeloma: A decade

The clinical outcomes of 169 patients enrolled in the first clinical trial of thalidomide for advanced or refractory myeloma are updated. Seventeen patients remain alive and 10 are event-free, with a median follow-up of 9.2 years. According to multivariate analysis of pretreatment variables, cytogenetic abnormalities, present in 47% of patients within 3 months of enrollment, and γ light chain isotype both affected overall survival and event-free survival adversely. Forty percent of the 58 patients lacking these 2 unfavorable features, one-half of whom had no disease recurrence, survived at least 6 years, in contrast to fewer than 5% among those with 1 or 2 risk features (P < .001). Patients who had received cumulative thalidomide doses in excess of 42 g in the first 3 months enjoyed superior overall and event-free survival. The poor outcome associated with λ-type myeloma may relate to its overrepresentation in molecularly defined high-risk disease gleaned from studies in newly diagnosed myeloma.