Immunotherapy

This type of cancer treatment gets the immune system to more effectively attack the cancer cells.

Thalomid^® (thalidomide) is an immunotherapy drug that works very well in people who do not respond well to other types of cancer treatment. It may be the first treatment used in people who are considering a stem cell transplant. In that case, it may be combined with the chemotherapy drug Decadron^® (dexamethasone).

Thalomid works in many complex ways. It shuts off the blood supply to the myeloma cells. And it keeps myeloma cells from latching on to the bone marrow and growing. People usually take it in a capsule once a day, often at bedtime.

Doctors sometimes use Thalomid with the chemotherapy drug Velcade^® (bortezomib). It has recently been shown that this combination can work when other cancer treatments stop working.

Revlimid^® (lenalidomide) is a new immunotherapy drug that works similarly to Thalomid, but it may have fewer side effects. People take it as a pill, generally for 21 days, followed by a 7-day period of rest. It is being tested in clinical trials.

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