Bortezomib, a newly approved proteasome inhibitor for the treatment of multiple myeloma: nursing implications.

Multiple myeloma (MM), a malignancy of the plasma cells, accounts for an estimated 14% of all newly diagnosed hematologic malignancies. Advances in chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation have improved survival rates, but MM remains incurable. Bortezomib (Velcade, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA), a first-in-class proteasome inhibitor, has been approved for patients with MM who have received at least two prior treatments and have demonstrated disease progression on the most recent one. During clinical trials, most side effects were manageable with standard interventions. The most common toxicities were asthenic conditions (fatigue, malaise, and weakness), gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation), thrombocytopenia, peripheral neuropathy, pyrexia, and anemia. Supportive therapies and strategies for side-effect management can prevent worsening of these symptoms, thereby avoiding dose reductions and treatment delays. Oncology nurses play a key role in ensuring the proper and safe administration of bortezomib and often are the first to identify the signs of side effects. Patient education about anticipated side effects and close monitoring of patients can lead to symptom management interventions that are essential to patient comfort and safety.

Deep vein thrombosis in patients with multiple myeloma treated with thalidomide and chemotherapy: effects of prophylactic and therapeutic anticoagulation.

A group of 256 newly diagnosed myeloma patients were enrolled in a phase III study that included 4 monthly cycles of induction chemotherapy and tandem transplant. All patients were randomized to either receive or not receive thalidomide. A total of 221 patients (86%) received no prophylactic anticoagulation (cohort I); 35 patients received low dose coumadin (cohort II). The incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was significantly higher in the thalidomide arm hazard ratio: 4.5; P < 0.0001). As low dose coumadin (1 mg/d) failed to decrease thrombotic complications in 35 patients (cohort II), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH, enoxaparin 40 mg s.c. q.d.) was instituted as DVT prophylaxis in the thalidomide-treated patients (n = 68) of the subsequent cohort (n = 130, cohort III). This intervention eliminated the difference in DVT incidence between the two arms (thalidomide and no thalidomide). Within cohorts I and II, 36 patients, in whom thalidomide was discontinued after experiencing a thrombotic episode during chemotherapy, subsequently resumed the drug on full anticoagulation; with a median follow-up of 22 months, DVT recurred in four patients (11%). After completing induction and tandem transplantation, 55 patients were re-exposed to thalidomide and chemotherapy during consolidation treatment. Thrombotic complications were observed in 4%. Our experience, although not based on a randomized study, suggests that the excess frequency of thrombosis in patients treated with chemotherapy and thalidomide can be safely reduced by the prophylactic use of LMWH. The rate of DVT recurrence observed in our study upon thalidomide resumption was sufficiently low to allow its continuation in patients who may benefit from this therapeutic intervention.