Multiple Myeloma: 7-Year Experience of Applying Targeted Therapy in Novosibirsk and Its Results

Objective. To evaluate results of the 7-year experience in treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) with proteasome inhibitor (bortezomib) in the Novosibirsk Municipal Hematological Center. Methods. 199 MM patients treated in the Novosibirsk Municipal Hematological Center over the period from July, 2006, till December, 2014, were enrolled in the study. The median age of patients was 68 years (varied from 36 to 81). 98 patients received bortezomib as the first line therapy and 101 patients as the second line. Results. The overall response rate of the first line therapy was 78.5 %; at that, 25 % of patients achieved a complete and almost complete remission. The median time to achieve response was 72 days. With the progression or refractory MM, the efficacy of bortezomib as a part of a combined antitumor therapy was 68.3 %. Bortezomib proved to be effective when its administration was resumed by patients who had received bortezomib and other components of the combined regimen previously (overall response: 68.4 %). The median overall survival rate has not been achieved, and 7-year survival rate was 70 %. Adverse events of bortezomib were predictable and manageable; the most relevant of them included gastrointestinal and hematologic disorders, fatigue, and peripheral neuropathy. Conclusion. Bortezomib is a highly effective drug, which plays an important role in the treatment of MM as the first and subsequent line therapies; its administration results in significant increase in patients’ overall survival.