Lenalidomide monotherapy has proven to be an effective maintenance treatment for multiple myeloma (MM). Matthew Jenner, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK, presented data from part of the Myeloma XI trial (NCT01554852), which aimed to compare vorinostat plus lenalidomide maintenance therapy with lenalidomide alone, at the 23rd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2018, held in Stockholm, Sweden. This study did not meet its primary endpoint of improving progression-free or overall survival in the vorinostat-lenalidomide arm, primarily because the toxicity of this combination proved too great for most patients to tolerate. Dr Jenner discusses how, despite this particular combination not being successful, the data are promising for combining HDAC inhibitors like vorinostat with IMiDs like lenalidomide for MM maintenance in the future.
Myeloma XI update: vorinostat/lenalidomide not a winning combination for maintenance
