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Background- The treatment of multiple myeloma has evolved significantly in the last decade and combinations of the new drugs have allowed better responses and significant gain in survival. Studies comparing different chemotherapy combinations before transplant suggest that the triple combo is superior to double. The use of bortezomib as backbone in these combos has been identified as superior to other drugs. Unfortunately bortezomib is not part of the drugs available for use in the Brazilian public health system to myeloma treatment and the only available drug is thalidomide. Comparisons between different triple combinations are rare in the literature. In the present study we compared two different triple combinations composed of bortezomib + cyclophosphamide + dexamethasone (VCD) versus thalidomide + cyclophosphamide + dexamethasone (CTD) in order to identify which of the two combinations lead to the best response after 4 cycles before bone marrow transplantation for eligible new diagnose patients with multiple myeloma.

Little is known about the incidence and clinical features of Multiple Myeloma (MM) in Latin America. A clinical registry of Latin American (LA) patients with MM represents an opportunity to gain insight into the prevalence of the disease in this region, the patterns of care and the current treatment status in different LA countries.

Little is known about the incidence and clinical features of Multiple Myeloma (MM) in Latin America. A clinical registry of Latin American (LA) patients with MM represents an opportunity to gain insight into the prevalence of the disease in this region, the patterns of care and the current treatment status in different LA countries.To characterize the demographic and clinical features of patients with multiple myeloma from five LA countries (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Peru) and to create a LA database on MM; in addition to investigating the patterns of care for MM patients in Latin America.This is an observational, non-intervention study, with a prospective evaluation of data. Eligible patients were diagnosed with multiple myeloma, between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007, at any one of the participating centers, regardless of disease stage or treatment modality. The follow-up period extended to at least 5 years for each patient (December 31, 2012).Eight hundred and seventy six patients were included. The median age was 60 years old (25-97), 53.4% male and 46.6% female. The median follow-up was 31.4 months, and the median overall survival was 57 months. The median overall survival to patients who received high-dose chemotherapy was 77 months and for patients who received conventional chemotherapy was 48 months (p<0.001). The multivariate prognostic model included patient baseline variables that were associated with mortality in the Kaplan-Meier univariate analyses. Only hypercalcemia, DSS II and III, ISS stage III andnon- high-dose chemotherapy were independent predictors of mortality.This current study, which is the largest case series of MM patients in Latin America, recognizes the feasibility of large, collaborative, observational studies among various tertiary-care hematology centers in Latin America.We will present more details related to the demographic and most frequently used treatments in Latin America for newly diagnosed and relapsed patients in these LA countries.No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.