Stopping myeloma maintenance after two years shows no survival loss in trial

For patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma not undergoing an autologous stem cell transplant, indefinite lenalidomide maintenance has long been standard care despite limited evidence to guide the optimal duration of treatment.

A randomized phase 3 clinical trial by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN), published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, found more toxicity with no survival benefit from continuing treatment until disease progression compared with stopping after 2 years. ...