Gallium nitrate in multiple myeloma: prolonged survival in a cohort of patients with advanced-stage disease. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Multiple myeloma is characterized by bone destruction mediated by osteoclastic bone resorption. Skeletal complications of myeloma, including bone pain, fractures, spinal cord compression and hypercalcemia, result in significant morbidity. Gallium nitrate was shown in a small, randomized trial to attenuate the rate of bone loss in patients with myeloma treated with chemotherapy. In a retrospective analysis, we found that patients with advanced multiple myeloma treated with chemotherapy plus gallium nitrate had markedly prolonged median survival compared with similar patients treated with chemotherapy alone (87+ months v 48 months, respectively). These data suggest that gallium nitrate may have a positive, indirect benefit on survival in myeloma by decreasing the rate of bone resorption. Further evaluation of gallium nitrate to attenuate progression of disease in patients with multiple myeloma is warranted.

publication date

  • April 1, 2003

Research

keywords

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Gallium
  • Multiple Myeloma

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0037809787

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/s0093-7754(03)00172-6

PubMed ID

  • 12776256

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 30

issue

  • 2 Suppl 5