Publications by authors named "Youram Nassir"

Background: There is a small but growing number of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) cases attributed to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, with nivolumab and ipilimumab therapy being the most frequently described in the literature.

Study Design And Methods: This report evaluates the course of a patient with a history of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung who developed TTP following treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor Pembrolizumab. The patient was treated with six sessions of therapeutic plasma exchange and appeared to be in remission.

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Immunomodulatory drugs including thalidomide, lenalidomide (LEN) and pomalidomide (POM), are effective for treating multiple myeloma (MM). POM has shown enhanced efficacy with dexamethasone (DEX). Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) with bortezomib is US Food and Drug Administration-approved for treating MM.

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Objective: Neuropathy is an important complication that may limit treatment options for patients with multiple myeloma. Previous studies have focused on treatment efficacy and have shown that retreatment with bortezomib (BTZ) is an effective treatment option. The goal of this study was to focus on the clinical manifestations of peripheral neuropathy (PN) and to retrospectively compare the incidence and severity of PN between the initial BTZ regimen and upon retreatment.

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New classes of drugs including the proteasome inhibitors (PI) bortezomib and, more recently, carfilzomib and the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide have shown improved outcomes for multiple myeloma (MM) patients during the past decade. However, most of the studies reporting outcomes for patients receiving these drugs have relied on older data sets derived from large institutions that included patients not receiving their treatment at those facilities and represented only those eligible for clinical trials or were from sites where treatment options were limited. We have analyzed data from 258 MM patients who have received treatment with at least one of three agents: bortezomib, carfilzomib, and lenalidomide in a single clinic specializing in MM with respect to their responses and other outcomes to treatment regimens including these agents.

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Despite recent advances made in its treatment, multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable B cell malignancy. Thus, the objective for treating these patients is to prolong overall survival (OS) and preserve patients' quality of life. We have analyzed data from 264 consecutive MM patients who had their initial visit between July 1, 2004 and December 1, 2014 and have received treatment in a single clinic specializing in MM.

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Purpose: Fatigue is a common problem among multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Armodafinil is a drug known to promote wakefulness, which is related to modafinil, a compound that improves fatigue in some cancer patients treated with chemotherapeutic agents. We investigated whether armodafinil could reduce cancer-related fatigue in MM patients.

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Panobinostat is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has shown synergistic preclinical anti-myeloma activity when combined with other agents, recently exhibiting synergy with the alkylating agent melphalan (Sanchez et al., Leuk Res 35(3):373-379, 2011). This phase 1/2 trial investigated the safety and efficacy of panobinostat in combination with melphalan for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients.

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Bendamustine, active in multiple myeloma (MM), is a bifunctional mechlorethamine derivative with alkylating properties. Bortezomib, approved to treat MM, is effective in combination with alkylators. The tolerability and efficacy of bendamustine plus bortezomib in relapsed/refractory MM was assessed in an open-label, dose-escalating, phase I/II study.

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The combination of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), bortezomib and dexamethasone has shown efficacy in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Our earlier retrospective study suggested that modification of the doses, schedules and route of administration of these drugs appears to reduce toxicity without compromising anti-MM activity. As a result, we evaluated this modified drug combination in the frontline setting in a prospective multicentre phase II trial.

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Few studies have evaluated prognostic factors among patients with multiple myeloma (MM) since new therapies have become available. Monthly zoledronic acid (ZOL) has been incorporated into many treatment regimens to reduce skeletal-related events (SREs), but outcomes among patients receiving this bisphosphonate have not been well-defined. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine baseline and on-treatment prognostic factors in these patients.

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Background: We conducted a single-arm, multicentre phase 2 study to evaluate bortezomib, ascorbic acid and melphalan (BAM) for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).

Methods: Induction consisted of up to eight 28-d cycles of bortezomib 1.0 mg/m(2) on days 1, 4, 8 and 11, plus oral ascorbic acid 1 g and oral melphalan 0.

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Purpose: This open-label, phase I dose-escalation study assessed the safety, tolerability, and initial efficacy of Samariam 153 (153Sm)-lexidronam/bortezomib combination therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Experimental Design: Patients were enrolled in six cohorts and given bortezomib (1.0 or 1.

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Purpose: Patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) have increased rates of bone resorption, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and risk of fractures. This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid for patients with MGUS and enhanced bone loss.

Experimental Design: In this phase II open-label study, 54 patients with MGUS and osteopenia or osteoporosis were administered zoledronic acid 4 mg i.

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Bortezomib synergizes with melphalan in preclinical and early clinical studies. Updated data from our phase 1/2 study assessing the safety and efficacy of bortezomib plus melphalan in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) are presented. Bortezomib (0.

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