New Treatment Regimen Extends Blood Cancer Remission by Seven Months

A novel treatment approach for blood cancer, specifically multiple myeloma, has shown promising results in significantly extending remission periods. According to a clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Leeds, patients with relapsed myeloma experienced an average increase of seven months in disease-free survival using this new regimen.

Myeloma, which accounts for 1 in 50 new cancer diagnoses in the UK, is traditionally managed with stem cell transplants supported by high-dose chemotherapy. Despite initial success, relapse is common, leading to the need for innovative therapies.

The recent trial, known as the Myeloma XII or ACCoRd study, explored a treatment strategy involving a second autologous stem cell transplant combined with targeted medication. Patients received drugs like thalidomide, dexamethasone, and ixazomib—an alternative to conventional chemotherapy with a different side effect profile—to suppress residual cancer cells. Ixazomib was then administered as a maintenance medication to keep the disease under control.

Published in The Lancet Haematology, the study's results revealed that this combined approach not only extended remission duration but also improved patients' quality of life compared to traditional treatments. Professor Gordon Cook, who oversaw the trial, emphasized the significance of these findings: “Using targeted drugs post-transplant provides patients with more time and a better quality of life.”

Ixazomib works by disrupting the production of proteins vital for myeloma cell survival, accumulating toxic proteins within these cancer cells and leading to their death. Its non-steroid nature helps minimize adverse effects related to metabolism and infections.

The trial's promising outcomes suggest that this approach could serve as an alternative option for patients capable of tolerating a second stem cell transplant. Experts from Cancer Research UK and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals highlighted the importance of these findings, emphasizing ongoing efforts to improve survival and quality of life for myeloma patients.

Overall, this research underlines the potential of targeted therapies to modify treatment landscapes for blood cancers and offers hope for longer remission periods and enhanced patient well-being.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-treatment-regimen-blood-cancer-remission.html