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Six hundred fourteen previously untreated patients with multiple myeloma were evaluated on this phase III Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) trial. For remission induction, two noncross-resistant drug combinations (vincristine, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone [VMCP] and vincristine, carmustine [BCNU], Adriamycin [doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH], and prednisone [VBAP]) were administered with either a direct alternating or a syncopated schedule. Pretreatment serum beta-2 microglobulin (beta 2M) was the single most important prognostic factor for survival (P less than .0001). There was no difference in toxicity, response, or survival by induction chemotherapy schedule (P greater than .7). For consolidation, 180 eligible and responsive patients were randomized to receive either an additional year of VMCP or sequential hemibody radiation (HBI) with vincristine and prednisone (VP) administered between the two HBI courses. Relapse-free survival (26 months) and overall survival (median, 36 months) were better with VMCP than with HBI (median, 20 months and 28 months; P = .04 and .018, respectively). HBI was also evaluated on a nonrandomized basis in 66 patients who achieved either a partial response (PR) or who were nonresponders to induction therapy. While HBI converted 24% of the PR patients to remission status, this effect was only seen in 5% of nonresponding patients. The survival of responsive and nonresponding patients receiving HBI was similar. All HBI groups had an inferior outcome to those receiving VMCP consolidation. Myelosuppression was also significantly worse after HBI. Survival from the time of relapse did not differ between patients randomized to receive VMCP or HBI. Thus HBI induced less durable remissions, but did not render patients less amenable to postrelapse chemotherapy. Our findings do not support the use of HBI in either chemotherapy responsive or nonresponding patients with multiple myeloma.

The relationship between food iron absorption, iron stores, and plasma iron level was studied. On a low iron diet subjects with idiopathic hemochromatosis (IH) during reaccumulation of iron after phlebotomies showed a fall in plasma iron. Fortification of the diet with 22--135 mg of iron/day for 3 days caused little or no change in the plasma iron in subjects with normal iron stores, whereas in subjects with iron deficiency a significant rise in plasma iron occurred with the addition of 45 mg of iron/day. In subjects with IH with normal iron stores, plasma iron increased with the addition of 22.5 mg/day. These studies indicate that iron absorption is an important determinant of the elevated plasma iron in IH and that the plasma iron tolerance test combined with the serum ferritin may be used to detect excessive absorption of iron.