• Emilia Scalzulli, Sara Grammatico, Federico Vozella, and Maria Teresa Petrucci.
• a Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology , "Sapienza" University , Rome , Italy.
• Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2018 Mar 1; 19 (4): 375-386.

IntroductionMultiple Myeloma (MM) management is rapidly evolving, with a spectrum of novel treatments that have changed our approach to the therapy. Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) have revolutionized the scenario of both relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed patients. The efficacy of bortezomib, the first PI approved, followed by carfilzomib and, the oral ixazomib, have been tested in several trials as single agents or in combination.Areas CoveredIn this review, the authors summarize mechanism of action, efficacy and safety of proteasome inhibitors in MM and focus on data derived from clinical trials, analyzing adverse events and their relative management.Expert OpinionThe authors believe that, currently, the best course of action in the treatment of MM is to use PIs in combination with immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) and/or with monoclonal antibodies for all patients. However, based on the patient-specific characteristics, it is important to avoid inappropriate discontinuation by knowing the single side effects of every agent in order to balance their efficacy and safety.

41 keywords...

hide…