Non-interventional Study on Salvage Auto in Relapsed Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable disease that is characterized by the accumulation of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow. While MM patients with relapsed disease may achieve responses to subsequent antimyeloma therapies, the duration of response decreases with successive relapses until resistant disease develops. Until recently, the median survival following relapse after induction therapy was approximately one year. The relatively recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of bortezomib (2003) and combination lenalidomide plus dexamethasone (2006) therapies for the treatment of previously treated MM has provided effective therapeutic options that give patients with relapsed or refractory MM the prospect for a prolongation of overall and progression-free survival times. However, MM remains an incurable disease. A clear unmet medical need still exists for additional novel therapeutic options for the treatment of previously treated MM. Plerixafor reversibly inhibits CXCR4 binding to stromal cell derived factor (SDF)-1alpha and was recently discovered to be an effective agent to mobilize CD34+ cells into the peripheral blood. In normal volunteers, administering Plerixafor after 4-5 days of G-CSF resulted in a 3-3.5 fold increase in circulating CD34+ cells. Two phases 3 studies demonstrated that the combination of G-CSF and Plerixafor is superior to G-CSF alone for mobilizing hematopoietic progenitor cells in front-line or as salvage therapy in patients with multiple myeloma. Nevertheless, almost all patients ultimately relapse, and no plateau is observed in the survival curves. At the time of disease recurrence, there is not one standard salvage approach, but instead, various therapeutic options are available, including novel agents-based therapy, administered for a fixed duration of time or until progression. In the pivotal trial for the approval of bortezomib as monotherapy in relapsed and refractory MM, the median PFS was 7 months, whereas in