Review Article
Tsutomu Kobayashi, Junya Ku
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy of plasma cells which still remains incurable despite conventional and high-dose chemotherapies. With the introduction of new agents, such as bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide, there has been significant improvement in treatment outcomes for MM during the last decade. Furthermore, several new novel agents those offer further possibilities for MM patients have become available clinical trials. Nevertheless, it is unclear the appropriate usage of these agents to obtain optimal survivals, for example, whether sequencing of drugs or multi-agent combinations offer the superiority. In this review we will describe the various classes of novel agents being used for MM treatment, including proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, histone deacetylase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and other novel agents, with particularly focus on their mechanisms and clinical efficacy.