Could starting with fewer drugs be just as effective for multiple myeloma?

NCT ID NCT01919086

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested a new way to treat multiple myeloma by starting with just two drugs (bortezomib and dexamethasone) and adding a third (lenalidomide) only if the disease wasn't well controlled. The goal was to see if this step-by-step approach could achieve the same good results as giving all three drugs at once, but with fewer side effects. Thirty adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma took part in this phase 2 trial.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: bortezomib, dexamethasone, and lenalidomide
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could show that starting with fewer drugs and adding more only when needed works just as well as using all three from the start, with fewer side effects.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase trial with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The sequential approach might not control the disease as well as the standard three-drug combination.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

plasma cell myeloma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

MULTIPLE MYELOMA (MM)

Contacts and locations

Locations

Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute @ Hartford Hospital

Hartford, Connecticut, 06102, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, 10065, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center @ Suffolk

Commack, New York, 11725, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth

Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester

Harrison, New York, 10604, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering at Mercy Medical Center

Rockville Centre, New York, United States

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