<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the
clinical efficacy and
safety of
lenalidomide plus low
dose dexamethasone for treating
patients with
multiple myeloma (MM).</p><p><b>
METHODS</b>A total of 19 MM
patients were enrolled to receive the
therapeutic schedule of
lenalidomide plus
dexamethasone in our
hospital from May 2013 to June 2015.
Lenalidomide 25 mg was taken orally daily for 21 days and resting for 7 days, and
dexamethasone 10 mg was taken orally daily on the day 1-4, 7-10 and 13-16. The regimens were Rd (
lenalidomide and
dexamethasone, n = 12), and RCd (
lenalidomide,
ifosfamide and
dexamethasone, n = 7).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 19
patients received 1 cycle of
treatment 3
patients achieved complete remission (CR), 3
patients achieved very good partial remission (VGPR), 10
patients achieved partial remission (PR) and 3
patients in stable
disease (SD) with an overall response rate (ORR = CR + VGPR + PR) of 84%; their ORR rate was 89% after 2 cycles of
treatment. In the early stage of
treatment, the renal function was improved in 4 out of 5
patients with renal dysfunction. And the common adverse reactions were hematologic
toxicity in 4
patients, 1 degree
rash in 5
patients, and gastrointestinal side effects in 4
patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The
lenalidomide plus
dexamethasone regimen has a good anti-
multiple myeloma effect, which can control the
disease rapidly and overcome the
multidrug resistance in MM, improving the poor
prognosis with renal dysfunction, and showing high remission rate in the
patients exposed to
bortezomib with low
toxicity.</p>