A Trial of Treatment With Lenalidomide-Melphalan-Dexamethasone in Patients With Primary (AL) Amyloidosis

The treatment with oral melphalan and prednisone has been recommended as standard treatment of AL amyloidosis but the results are rather disappointing. Another therapeutic option is pulsed high-dose dexamethasone + melphalan (Mel-Dex) with more encouraging results regarding the achievement of a faster disease response and higher rates of haematological remission. In the last 5 - 10 years, promising treatment outcomes after therapy with high-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell support have been reported by several groups but only highly selected patients are eligible for this treatment. Lenalidomide has been shown to be effective in phase II and III trials in MM patients. Because of the relationship to MM, Lenalidomide is a promising therapeutic option also for patients with AL amyloidosis. The addition of Lenalidomide to Mel-Dex could improve rate of complete response (CR) and organ response in patients not eligible for or refused high-dose chemotherapy.