{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:35:22Z","timestamp":1760146522988,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"22","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,12]],"date-time":"2024-11-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1731369600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Millennium: The Takeda (Japan) oncology Company","award":["IISR -2003-M000O130"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IISR -2003-M000O130"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Bortezomib (B), known as Velcade, is a reversible proteasome inhibitor approved for relapsed\/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients (pts). The standard of care protocol includes eight cycles of intravenous push (IVP) injections of B and oral dexamethasone (D), which increases the toxicity. Here, we describe the results of an open-label, phase II clinical trial employing only four cycles of B\/D. Methods: RRMM pts treated with at least one previous therapy qualified for the trial. Pts were treated with B 1.3 mg\/m2 IVP or subcutaneous (SC) on day 1, 4, 8, and 11, followed by a 10-day rest, Q21 days for four cycles; followed by maintenance therapy with once weekly B 1.6 mg\/m2 IVP or SC on day 1, 8, 15, and 22, followed by 13 days\u2019 rest, repeated Q36 day. Pts received D 20 mg on the days of and days after B. Pts with a complete response (CR) were removed. Those with a partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) were placed on maintenance therapy until progressive disease (PD), unacceptable toxicity, or pts\u2019 decision to stop. Results: A total of 24 pts were enrolled. CR was observed in six pts (25%), PR in eight pts (33%), and SD in nine pts (37.5%). Moreover, 14 of the 24 pts (58.3%) had PR or better. Four pts had PD during induction. The grade 3 toxicities included fatigue (58%), sensory neuropathy (54%), and thrombocytopenia (50%); the grade 4 toxicities were thrombocytopenia (12.5%), fatigue (12.5%), and sensory neuropathy (12.5%). Conclusions: A short course of B\/D, plus maintenance with B, is well tolerated in RRMM pts. Long-term maintenance with B\/D could become an alternative to new agents.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers16223805","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,12]],"date-time":"2024-11-12T06:28:32Z","timestamp":1731392912000},"page":"3805","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Short Course of Standard Velcade\/Dexamethasone Followed by Unlimited Weekly Maintenance Therapy Is an Effective Treatment in Relapsed\/Refractory Multiple Myeloma"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-9066-2807","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Harini Acharya","family":"Gangur","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine\u2014Bradenton, Bradenton, FL 34211, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4407-1956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Harsha","family":"Trivedi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Herbert-Herman Cancer Center, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, Lansing, MI 48912, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"UshaSree","family":"Chamarthy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sparrow Regional Cancer Center Lansing, Sparrow Health System, Lansing, MI 48912, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anas","family":"Al-Janadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3519-0409","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gordan","family":"Srkalovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Herbert-Herman Cancer Center, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, Lansing, MI 48912, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1002\/hon.2586","article-title":"Multiple Myeloma: Every Year a New Standard?","volume":"37","author":"Rajkumar","year":"2019","journal-title":"Hematol. 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