Bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (VTD) is superior to bortezomib-cyclophosphamide-dexamethasone (VCD) as induction therapy prior to autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma

Integration of novel agents into first-line therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients who are eligible to receive an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has led to unprecedented rates of high-quality responses.1 Based on the results of several phase III trials,2, 3, 4, 5 a three-drug induction regimen including bortezomib and dexamethasone (VD) is currently considered the standard of care in preparation for ASCT. The European Medicines Agency recently approved the combination of bortezomib with thalidomide and dexamethasone (VTD) for this use.