Meta-analysis of results from three randomised control trials has demonstrated that maintenance treatment with lenalidomide (Revlimid®) following high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) in newly diagnosed myeloma patients has a significant overall survival (OS) benefit.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the results of this meta-analysis, which used data pooled from the CALGB 100104, IFM 2005-02 and GIMEMA RVMM-PI-209 trials, showed that lenalidomide maintenance treatment reduced the risk of death by 25% when compared to the control group. The median progression free survival (PFS) for patients receiving lenalidomide maintenance treatment was 52.8 months compared to 23.5 months for patients receiving the placebo. Furthermore, seven year survival was reached in 62% of patients receiving lenalidomide maintenance treatment versus 50% of patients in the control group.
These results provide substantial evidence of the benefits of lenalidomide maintenance treatment. Although approved for use in Europe, lenalidomide maintenance treatment is yet to be made available on the NHS.