Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026764 (multiple myeloma)
 36,148 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recombinant DNA technology has made possible the analysis of cytokine gene expression in both in vitro and in vivo studies of human hematopoietic malignancies and has facilitated the production of large amounts of recombinant cytokines. This development has led to advances in our understanding of the role of aberrant cytokine production in these diseases. These results support the concept of autocrine stimulation of leukemic growth, for instance, in multiple myeloma and acute myelogenous leukemia, and may lead to new therapeutic concepts such as the application of antibodies directed against these cytokines. Availability of recombinant cytokines has also allowed clinical testing in settings of disease- or therapy-related neutropenias and anemias, and particularly GM-CSF, G-CSF, and EPO have proven efficient in this respect. Thus, there is the prospect of more dose-intensive chemotherapy protocols as well as combinations of different cytokines that may prove more effective than application of a single compound.
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PMID:Cytokines in the pathogenesis and management of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. 193 55

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHu-EPO) is an effective growth factor for erythroid progenitor cells in anemia provoked by several conditions, including bone marrow tumors such as multiple myeloma (MM). We studied a group of 54 patients with MM undergoing second-induction chemotherapy. Thirty of them were randomly assigned to receive rHu-EPO at an initial dosage of 150 units/kg body weight three times a week, increased to 300 units/kg from the sixth week to the end of the 24-week study. Hemoglobin (Hb) levels increased in 77.7% of these patients by the eighth week. In addition, five transfusion-dependent patients in treatment with the VMCP protocol completed the trial without requiring blood supplement after the third month, whereas seven control patients required frequent supplements. Monthly assessment of hematologic parameters demonstrated the ability of rHu-EPO to increase reticulocyte counts, whereas five patients became resistant to the second-induction chemotherapy in apparent concurrence with their rHu-EPO therapy. The response to rHu-EPO in four of the five MM patients receiving cytotoxic protocols combined with alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) included an increase of serum IgM after the third month. This effect was not demonstrable in any other group, including three rHu-EPO-untreated patients undergoing alpha-IFN + VMCP combined therapy, as well as rHu-EPO-treated patients not receiving alpha-IFN. Our data suggest that alpha-IFN plus rHu-EPO treatment in MM patients is effective in restoring normal B cell function. These results may reflect in vivo the modulation of normal human B cells and lymphoblasts by rHu-EPO observed in vitro.
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PMID:Long-term therapy with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHu-EPO) in progressing multiple myeloma. 763 11

Patients with relatively higher endogenous EPO levels (> 100 U/L) in the Arkansas study showed late responses or failed to respond, analogous to earlier observations by Ludwig et al, as well as by Fischl et al, and colleagues, who studied r-HuEPO administration in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients receiving r-HuEPO for anemia associated with zidovudine therapy. Thus, r-HuEPO substitution therapy is more likely to benefit patients whose anemia is associated with inappropriately low EPO serum levels. Granulopoiesis and thrombopoiesis were unaffected, and multiple myeloma cell stimulation has not been observed. The relative lack of toxicity from subcutaneously administered r-HuEPO at a dose of 150 U/kg three times weekly makes this approach an effective adjunct in the management of patients with multiple myeloma, especially those unresponsive to chemotherapy and remaining symptomatic from their anemia.
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PMID:Treatment of the anemia of multiple myeloma: the role of recombinant human erythropoietin. 815 75

Anemia is a common complication of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Most of these patients often require blood transfusion. 12 patients, including 7 cases of MM and 5 cases of MDS, were treated with rhEPO 10,000 micrograms three times a week for 15 weeks. The hemoglobin in 6 of 7 cases of MM steadily increased and eventually reached normal level without blood transfusion. The number of erythroid precursors in bone marrow was increased significantly and serum ferritin concentration was decreased gradually during EPO administration. However 5 patients with MDS did not show any response to EPO. The adverse side effects were hardly observed in any patients received EPO treatment. It is suggested that rhEPO is a promising preparation for treating MM-associated anemia rather than MDS-associated anemia.
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PMID:[Erythropoietin treatment of anemia associated with multiple myeloma (MM) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)]. 822 21

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) improves chronic anemia of cancer, but the proportion of patients who respond favorably to the treatment varies depending on the type of neoplasia. Preliminary data of the two malignancies with the highest response rates, namely, multiple myeloma and squamous cell carcinoma, are reported. Twenty patients with multiple myeloma and 14 with squamous cell carcinoma, who had presented with hemoglobin levels < 11 g/dl, were treated with rHuEPO, 150 U/kg, three times/week. Response, defined as an increase of at least 2 g/dl hemoglobin within 12 weeks, was achieved by 15 myeloma patients (75%) and 11 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (79%). Tolerance of the treatment was excellent. The WHO performance status and quality of life improved in responders. The remarkably low levels of endogenous EPO in our patients with squamous cell carcinoma, most of whom had been treated with cisplatin-or carboplatin-containing regimens, suggest that anemia in these cases had been at least partly chemotherapy induced. In myeloma patients, the blunted EPO response to the anemic condition may have been partly caused by subclinical tubular insufficiency induced by toxic paraproteins. Future studies should aim to elucidate factors which are responsible for the inability of some patients to respond to rHuEPO treatment, even though in multiple myeloma and squamous cell carcinoma these non-responders are a small minority.
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PMID:Recombinant human erythropoietin for the treatment of chronic anemia in multiple myeloma and squamous cell carcinoma. 824 47

Several monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) against human erythropoietin (H-EPO) were obtained by fusion of myeloma cells with splenocytes from mice immunized with purified recombinant H-EPO. Three Mabs (D7, E14 and E73) were selected by radioimmunoprecipitation on the basis of their high affinity against H-EPO. Their dissociation constants were 0.3 nM for E14 and D7, and 17 nM for E73. The immunochemical properties of these Mabs were analyzed in respect to their capacity to react, to purify, and to inhibit the biological activities of H-EPO. a) detection by Western blotting techniques: among the 3 Mabs only D7 was effective by this technique. b) purification: the best results were observed with E14, an approximately 200-fold purification of H-EPO from culture supernatants was obtained in a single immunopurification step. c) inhibition of the biological activity: the specific binding of 125I-labelled H-EPO to its cellular receptor was inhibited by E14 and E73 but not by D7. These three Mabs exhibited similar effects as far as the inhibition of the proliferation of H-EPO dependent cells (measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation) was concerned.
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PMID:Preparation and biological properties of monoclonal antibodies against human erythropoietin. 830 Jan 36

During the last decade, the availability of large numbers of cytokines and growth factors has greatly favoured the use of biotherapies in several haematological disease. For MM, the majority of clinical studies have dealt with the use of IFN-alpha. From these studies it appears that IFN-alpha has a definite role in the treatment of MM especially in the setting of minimal residual disease, as maintenance therapy after response to conventional therapies or HDC followed by BMT procedures or PBSCI. Data on the use of EPO have consistently demonstrated the role of this growth factor in ameliorating the grade of anaemia as well as the quality of life of those MM patients whose disease is complicated by the presence of a severe or moderate anemia. Despite the large amount of experimental data indicating a role for IL-2 and IL-6 in controlling tumour growth, there are only a few clinical studies dealing with their use in MM. From these, it appears that IL-2 and anti-IL-6 antibodies should be further investigated as therapeutic tools useful in maintaining responses, because results show that they arrest tumour progression rather than aid, tumour regression. Finally, in the next years, there will be a wider diffusion of biotherapies in MM that should take into account the roles that IL-1 beta and TNF alpha play in myeloma cell proliferation and bone destruction and the finding that retinoic acid is capable of inhibiting the growth of human myeloma cells in vitro through modulation of IL-6 and its receptor.
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PMID:The role of biotherapies (interleukins, interferons and erythropoietin) in multiple myeloma. 884 74

Recombinant erythropoietin (r-EPO) was administered to 37 patients with advanced, transfusion-dependent and chemo-resistant multiple myeloma (MM), at the fixed dose of 10,000/U s.c., 3 times a week, for 2 months. Thirteen patients (35.1%) achieved a significant response in terms of complete abolition of red cell transfusions. Factors significantly predictive of response were: a) inappropriate production of endogenous EPO, as expressed by a reduced observed/predicted ratio; b) presence of a consistent number of circulating erythroid precursors BFU-E; c) low serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1), cytokines with inhibitory activity on erythropoiesis; d) a single line of previously received chemotherapy. Renal failure, bone marrow plasma cell infiltration, serum levels of IL-6 and other main clinical and laboratory parameters did not affect significantly the response to r-EPO. High fluorescence reticulocytes (HFR) and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) values were useful to detect an early stimulation of erythropoiesis in responders, while a high percentage of circulating hypochromic erythrocytes (HE), as assessed by an automated counter, identified those patients developing functional iron deficiency during r-EPO treatment. We conclude that about one-third of severely anemic patients with advanced MM, unresponsive to chemotherapy, may benefit by r-EPO therapy. The clinical management of these patients can be accomplished using non-invasive parameters, such as sTfR, HFR and HE.
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PMID:Clinical results of recombinant erythropoietin in transfusion-dependent patients with refractory multiple myeloma: role of cytokines and monitoring of erythropoiesis. 922 86

Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO; epoetin) has been shown to be effective in improving anemia in a proportion of cancer patients. The response rate is approximately 60%, but varies considerably according to baseline hematocrit and transfusion needs, as well as the response criteria used. Response is not greatly influenced by the type of tumor, except in situations of major marrow involvement and limited residual hematopoiesis, or in the presence of specific mechanisms of anemia, such as hemolysis, splenomegaly, bleeding, hemodilution, or ineffective erythropoiesis. Stem cell damage by previous therapy as well as marrow suppression by current intensive chemotherapy can impair response. Besides its intensity, the type of chemotherapy may not be critical, although patients undergoing platinum-based chemotherapy may respond faster than those receiving non-platinum regimens. Complications, such as infections, bleeding, or nutritional deficiencies, may have a major negative impact on outcome. An important response-limiting factor is functional iron deficiency (ie, an imbalance between iron needs in the erythropoietic marrow and iron supply), which depends on the level of iron stores and its rate of mobilization. Functional iron deficiency is best monitored by the percentage of hypochromic red blood cells, and oral or intravenous iron supplements should be given when this percentage increases above 10%. All these factors explain why the response rate to epoetin is only approximately 60%. Therefore, it would be interesting to develop models that could help predict response to epoetin to help select the most appropriate cancer patients for this therapy. Few baseline parameters have been shown to be highly predictive of response in patients with solid tumors, although most studies in patients with myeloma or lymphoma have indicated that patients with a low baseline serum EPO level will respond better. Early changes after 2 to 4 weeks of treatment are also of great interest. Among these early changes, increments of soluble transferrin receptor, reticulocytes, and hemoglobin, as well as the persistence of elevated ferritin or EPO levels, have all shown some predictive value. Combination of baseline serum EPO and the 2-week increment of soluble transferrin receptor or hemoglobin may provide the best prediction of response.
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PMID:Prediction of response to optimize outcome of treatment with erythropoietin. 967 27

Recombinant human erythropoietin has been recently introduced as an important alternative for treatment of anaemia in multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the present paper we review the basis for its use in the anaemia of both entities, and the most relevant clinical trials showing the effect of erythropoietin. In MM patients the response rate (assessed by an increase of at least 2g/dl in the Hb level) ranges between 60%-80% while in NHL patients it ranges from 50% to 61%. The most appropriate EPO dose is around 5000 units per day, which is equivalent to 150 u/kg, three times per week. In addition, this review provides tools to decide the best candidates for this treatment and a guideline to monitor its efficacy.
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PMID:Recombinant human erythropoietin in the anaemia of multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 978 34


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