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Lenalidomide alone or in combination with dexamethasone is highly effective in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma following allogeneic stem cell transplantation and increases the frequency of CD4+Foxp3+ T cells

Leukemia volume 23, pages 605–607 (2009)Cite this article

Lenalidomide has demonstrated significant clinical activity in patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed multiple myeloma (MM).1 Its actions are believed to be mediated by apoptosis, anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative activity; inhibition of cytokine production; and stimulation of T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell immunity and cytotoxicity.2 These immunostimulatory properties suggest that lenalidomide especially can be very effective after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) or donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) by enhancing the donor T-cell- or NK cell-mediated graft-versus-myeloma effect.

To explore this, lenalidomide was administered to 16 MM patients who relapsed after allo-SCT. To benefit optimal from the immunostimulatory effects, dexamethasone was not routinely given. In addition, we analyzed peripheral blood collected from eight patients before, during and after the first cycle of treatment to evaluate the influence of lenalidomide on the cellular immune responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    M C Minnema & H M Lokhorst

  2. Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: m.c.minnema@umcutrecht.nl,

    M S van der Veer, T Aarts, M Emmelot & T Mutis

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  1. M C Minnema
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  2. M S van der Veer
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Minnema, M., van der Veer, M., Aarts, T. et al. Lenalidomide alone or in combination with dexamethasone is highly effective in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma following allogeneic stem cell transplantation and increases the frequency of CD4+Foxp3+ T cells. Leukemia 23, 605–607 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2008.247

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