Clinical study on thalidomide combined with dexamethasone in the treatment of refractory or relapsing multiple myeloma

Objective To observe the curative effect of thalidomide combined with dexamethasone(Thal-Dex) in treatment of refractory or relapsing multiple myeloma.Methods Twelve patients with advanced and refractory relapsing multiple myeloma were treated with Thal-Dex.All of the patients were given thalidomide at the starting dose of 100 mg/d,increasing by 100 mg/d every week till 400 mg/d;dexamethasone 40 mg/d,d1-4,d9-12,d17-20 in each cycle,repeated monthly.Results Two of 12 patients had complete remission(CR,16.7%),6 of them got partial remission(PR,50.0%),2 of them showed minimal response(MR,16.7%) and 2 had no response(NR,16.7%),with a total efficacy rate of 66.7%(CR+PR).Conclusion Thalidomide combined with dexamethasone in the treatment of refractory or relapsing multiple myeloma might be effective.