A 3-day short course of palifermin before HDT reduces toxicity and need for supportive care after autologous blood stem-cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma.

Background: We retrospectively determined whether a 3-day short course of palifermin could reduce the toxicity of high-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous blood stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

Patients And Methods: Sixty-seven consecutive patients received 60 mug/kg palifermin for 3 days before HDT with melphalan 200 or 140 mg/m(2) for patients with renal failure (group A). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was applied after ASCT.

Bendamustine in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Objective: In patients with multiple myeloma, bendamustine monotherapy is effective as 1st and 2nd line therapy. However, data for patients with advanced multiple myeloma is rare.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis we have identified 39 patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma by means of case research, who have been treated at our institution with bendamustine as salvage therapy.

Sorafenib (Nexavar) induces molecular remission and regression of extramedullary disease in a patient with FLT3-ITD+ acute myeloid leukemia.

The fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) can be found in about one quarter of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [Small D. FLT3 mutations: biology and treatment. Hematology Am Soc Hematology.

Unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation as salvage treatment for engraftment failure following autologous stem cell transplantation.

We report a case of a patient with multiple myeloma and engraftment failure after high-dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation. After rescue treatment with G-CSF and back-up reinfusion of autologous stem cells failed, allogeneic umbilical cord blood transplantation resulted in neutrophil engraftment on day +16 and a 57 months lasting complete remission. This case report shows that umbilical cord blood transplantation is a rescue option after engraftment failure of autologous transplantation, which is available for 99% of patients due to the less stringent HLA matching criteria.