{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T07:39:40Z","timestamp":1761896380011},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"American Society of Hematology","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":["ashpublications.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,12,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Despite many recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, the course of the disease is characterized by a repeating pattern of periods of remission and relapse as patients cycle through the available treatment options. Evidence is mounting that long-term maintenance therapy may help suppress residual disease after definitive therapy, prolonging remission and delaying relapse. For patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), lenalidomide maintenance therapy has been shown to improve progression-free survival (PFS); however, it is still unclear whether this translates into extended overall survival (OS). For patients ineligible for ASCT, continuous therapy with lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone was shown to improve PFS and OS (interim analysis) compared with a standard, fixed-duration regimen of melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide in a large phase 3 trial. Other trials have also investigated thalidomide and bortezomib maintenance for ASCT patients, and both agents have been evaluated as continuous therapy for those who are ASCT ineligible. However, some important questions regarding the optimal regimen and duration of therapy must be answered by prospective clinical trials before maintenance therapy, and continuous therapy should be considered routine practice. This article reviews the available data on the use of maintenance or continuous therapy strategies and highlights ongoing trials that will help to further define the role of these strategies in the management of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1182\/asheducation-2015.1.279","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,9,15]],"date-time":"2016-09-15T15:23:25Z","timestamp":1473953005000},"page":"279-285","update-policy":"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1182\/blood.2019cm0000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma in the era of novel agents"],"prefix":"10.1182","volume":"2015","author":[{"given":"Thierry","family":"Facon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Blood Diseases Service, Claude Huriez Hospital, Regional University Hospital, Lille, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"234","reference":[{"key":"2019111702460563800_B1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S3","DOI":"10.1016\/S0145-2126(12)70003-6","article-title":"Can we change the disease biology of multiple myeloma?","volume":"36","author":"Borrello","year":"2012","journal-title":"Leuk Res"},{"issue":"7","key":"2019111702460563800_B2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"867","DOI":"10.4065\/79.7.867","article-title":"Clinical course of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma","volume":"79","author":"Kumar","year":"2004","journal-title":"Mayo Clin Proc"},{"issue":"1","key":"2019111702460563800_B3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1038\/leu.2011.196","article-title":"Risk of progression and survival in multiple myeloma relapsing after therapy with IMiDs and bortezomib: a multicenter International Myeloma Working Group 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myeloma","volume":"108","author":"Attal","year":"2006","journal-title":"Blood"},{"issue":"8","key":"2019111702460563800_B13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3115","DOI":"10.1182\/blood-2008-03-145235","article-title":"Thalidomide arm of Total Therapy 2 improves complete remission duration and survival in myeloma patients with metaphase cytogenetic abnormalities","volume":"112","author":"Barlogie","year":"2008","journal-title":"Blood"},{"issue":"11","key":"2019111702460563800_B14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1788","DOI":"10.1200\/JCO.2008.18.8573","article-title":"Consolidation therapy with low-dose thalidomide and prednisolone prolongs the survival of multiple myeloma patients undergoing a single autologous stem-cell transplantation procedure","volume":"27","author":"Spencer","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Clin 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with MM with a quality-of-life assessment: the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinicals Trials Group Myeloma 10 Trial","volume":"121","author":"Stewart","year":"2013","journal-title":"Blood"},{"issue":"24","key":"2019111702460563800_B18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2946","DOI":"10.1200\/JCO.2011.39.6820","article-title":"Bortezomib induction and maintenance treatment in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: results of the randomized phase III HOVON-65\/ GMMG-HD4 trial","volume":"30","author":"Sonneveld","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Clin Oncol"},{"issue":"21","key":"2019111702460563800_B19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1182\/blood.V118.21.3962.3962","article-title":"Maintenance therapy after stem-cell transplantation for multiple myeloma with bortezomib\/thalidomide vs. thalidomide vs. alfa2b-interferon: final results of a phase 3 Pethema\/GEM randomized 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myeloma","volume":"27","author":"Leleu","year":"2013","journal-title":"Leukemia"},{"issue":"1","key":"2019111702460563800_B25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1182\/blood-2012-02-408898","article-title":"Bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone is superior to thalidomide-dexamethasone as consolidation therapy after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma","volume":"120","author":"Cavo","year":"2012","journal-title":"Blood"},{"issue":"23","key":"2019111702460563800_B26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4647","DOI":"10.1182\/blood-2012-11-464503","article-title":"Bortezomib consolidation after autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma: a Nordic Myeloma Study Group randomized phase 3 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www.nccn.org"},{"issue":"8","key":"2019111702460563800_B32","first-page":"e328","article-title":"Impact of maintenance therapy on subsequent treatment in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: use of \u201cprogression-free survival 2\u201d as a clinical trial end-point","volume":"100","author":"Dimopoulos","year":"2015","journal-title":"Haematologica"},{"issue":"21","key":"2019111702460563800_B33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1182\/blood.V124.21.179.179","article-title":"Randomized phase III trial in non-transplant eligible patients with newly diagnosed symptomatic multiple myeloma comparing melphalan-prednisone-thalidomide followed by thalidomide maintenance (MPT-T) versus melphalan-prednisone-lenalidomide followed by maintenance with lenalidomide (MPR-R); a joint study of the Dutch-Belgian Cooperative Trial Group for Hematology Oncology (HOVON) and the Nordic Myeloma Study Group 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endpoints","volume":"32","author":"Palumbo","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Clin 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