Publications by authors named "Marquita Camilleri"
High-dose melphalan followed by stem cell rescue is the standard consolidative therapy for transplant-eligible patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in the United Kingdom. A melphalan dose of 200 mg/m (Mel200) is considered the "gold standard" for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) conditioning for fit patients ≤70 years old; however, with a peak diagnosis incidence at 80-89 years old in the UK dose adjustments will be inevitable to limit toxicities. In this single-centre UK-based retrospective analysis, data was collected from patients with plasma cell dyscrasias who underwent a first reduced-intensity, Mel140, ASCT from 2006 to 2019, a total of 81 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Patients with multiple myeloma suffer from disease-related complications such as bone destruction, toxicities from repeated therapies and age-related co-morbidities. With improved treatment options, patients are living longer and have specific survivorship needs such as low exercise levels that need to be addressed. In this study, we designed, implemented and evaluated a multidisciplinary team (MDT) myeloma clinic that provided participants with tailored exercise and lifestyle advice.
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- The study compares a treatment protocol for multiple myeloma involving carfilzomib without stem cell transplantation to the standard bortezomib protocol followed by stem cell transplant to determine if the new method is equally effective.
- Conducted in 19 hospitals in the UK, the CARDAMON trial involved 281 patients and focused on key outcomes, including response rates and progression-free survival after treatment.
- Preliminary findings showed that the trial successfully randomized patients and is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the new treatment regimen over a two-year period.
Article Synopsis
- - Achieving minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity in multiple myeloma treatment is linked to better patient outcomes, but MRD testing isn't commonly used in the UK outside of clinical trials.
- - A multicolor flow cytometry (MCF) assay for MRD was validated, demonstrating high correlation with a reference center and stable results even with a delayed sample processing of up to 6 days.
- - In a study of newly diagnosed patients, 17% were found MRD-negative after receiving standard induction therapy, indicating the potential for wider application of MRD testing in smaller labs and its relevance in everyday clinical practice.
Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is standard of care in biologically fit, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients, offering better therapeutic outcomes and improved quality of life (QoL). However, with the UK's 1st national lockdown on 23/03/2020, several guidelines recommended deferring ASCT due to risks of infection, with resource limitations forcing some units to suspend ASCT entirely. Such changes to patients' treatment plans inevitably altered their lived experience during these uncertain times with expected impact on QoL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProteasome inhibitors have been associated with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) - a group of disorders characterised by occlusive microvascular thrombosis causing microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and end-organ damage. To date, carfilzomib-associated TMA has predominantly been described in relapsed/refractory myeloma patients. We report eight patients with newly diagnosed myeloma who experienced TMA events while receiving carfilzomib on the phase II CARDAMON trial.
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