¹Department of Medical Oncology, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence: Professor KC Anderson, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. E-mail: Kenneth_Anderson@dfci.harvard.edu

Received 12 April 2007; Revised 18 July 2007; Accepted 23 July 2007; Published online 3 September 2007.

Abstract

Thalidomide, lenalidomide and bortezomib have been approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the recent years. These agents are now being increasingly integrated into therapeutic regimens for newly diagnosed patients. First data are available on the promising activity of these novel agents in induction therapy, as well as maintenance treatment to improve outcome after stem cell transplantation. Whether these early results will lead to prolonged overall survival and thereby ultimately redefine the role of stem cell transplantation in first-line treatment of multiple myeloma will be one of the most important questions to be answered in the coming years.