The advent of new therapies for multiple myeloma brings new hope for patients but
also new side effects. Emerging information about the risks of supportive care therapies,
including long-term, high-intensity bisphosphonate use and erythropoiesis-stimulating
agents, is examined. As the number of drugs in the myeloma armamentarium grows, so
does the list of possible side effects and interactions. With current progress, not
only are there more complications to consider but patients are also living longer
and the risk for delayed complications is becoming more relevant. The author provides
perspective about the risks for the most active and commonly used single-agent and
combination myeloma therapies.
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Article info
Footnotes
Angela Dispenzieri is supported in part by grants CA125614, CA062242, CA107476, CA15083, and CA11345 from the National Cancer Institute.
Support for clinical trials was received from Celgene, Cytogen, and Neurochem.
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© 2007 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
