Therapeutic options for patients with myeloma have radically changed over the past ten years. Myeloma Therapy: Pursuing the Plasma Cell provides updated various treatment options for patients with myeloma, with focus on the emerging and speculative aspects of myeloma therapy. Written by clearly acknowledged leaders in the field of myeloma therapy and research, Myeloma Therapy: Pursuing the Plasma Cell presents significant material on the biology and potential agents used to address specific signaling pathways, all of which are critical to myeloma biology and therapy. State of the art information from many of the leaders in the plasma cell disorders world includes disease pathogenesis and biology, chemotherapy based approaches, immune based therapies, currently approved novel agents, developing targets, supportive care, and other plasma cell disorders. Myeloma Therapy: Pursuing the Plasma Cell is a comprehensive collection and tremendous source in this time of rapid change in clinical and preclinical disease knowledge.

Zusammenfassung
Therapeutic options for patients with myeloma have dramatically changed over the past 10 years. Beginning with the advances in therapy resulting from the use of high-dose therapy and autologous bone marrow or stem cell tra- plant, we have more than doubled the median survival for patients as a whole, and have now have a wealth of different biology -based treatment approaches for our patients in all disease stages. This book represents state-of-the-art information from many of the leaders in the plasma cell disorders world. Sections focusing on disease pathogenesis and biology, chemotherapy-based approaches, immune -based therapies, currently approved novel agents, developing targets, supportive care, and other plasma cell disorders provides a comprehensive collection and an excellent resource in this time of rapid change in clinical and preclinical disease knowledge. It is important to realize that these changes did not occur in a vacuum. Partnerships between academic institutions, the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups, the National Cancer Institute, community onco- gists, and ultimately our patients worked closely together to realize these advances, and to effect the radical changes in therapy we have witnessed over the past few years. This book would not have been possible without contri- tions from each of the gifted scientists and clinicians who worked tirelessly to prepare their individual chapters all the while maintaining commitment to the scientific and clinical mission of advancing care.

Inhalt
Biologic Consideration and Myeloma.- Staging in Multiple Myeloma.- Epidemiology of Multiple Myeloma.- Basic Biology of Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: Focus on the Role of the Tumor Microenviroment.- Biology-Based Classification and Staging of Multiple Myeloma.- Cytogenetic Abnormalities in Multiple Myeloma: The Importance of FISH and Cytogenetics.- Historical and Cytotoxic Agent-Based Therapies for Myeloma.- Role of Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Multiple Myeloma.- Maintenance Therapy in Multiple Myeloma.- Therapy for Patients not Eligible for Autologous Transplant.- Current Role of Anthracyclines in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma.- Immune-Based Therapies.- Allogeneic Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma.- Immunobiology and Immunotherapy of Multiple Myeloma.- Antibody and Other Immune-Based Therapies for Myeloma.- Existing Novel Agents.- Thalidomide in Patients with Relapsed Multiple Myeloma.- Thalidomide: Induction Therapy.- The Role of Bortezomib in the Treatment of Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma.- Bortezomib as Induction Therapy in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.- Lenalidomide in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma.- Lenalidomide for Initial Therapy of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma.- Current and Future Targets.- The Role of Heat Shock Protein 90 as a Therapeutic Target for Multiple Myeloma.- The PI3 Kinase/Akt Pathway as a Therapeutic Target in Multiple Myeloma.- The Mammalian Target of Rapamycin and Multiple Myeloma.- CDK Inhibitors in Multiple Myeloma.- Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 and Multiple Myeloma.- Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors in Multiple Myeloma.- Death Receptors in Multiple Myeloma and Therapeutic Opportunities.- Proteasome Inhibitors as Therapy in Multiple Myeloma.- Supportive Care.- Pathophysiology of Bone Disease in Multiple Myeloma.- Anemia and Erythropoeitic Growth Factors in Multiple Myeloma.- Percutaneous Vertebroplasty and Balloon Kyphoplasty for the Treatment of Acute Painful Pathologic and Nonpathologic Fractures.- The Role of Anatomic and Functional Imaging in Myeloma.- Management of Multiple Myeloma Patients with Renal Dysfunction.- Other Plasma Cell Disorders.- Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia.- AL (Immunoglobulin Light-Chain) Amyloidosis.- POEMS Syndrome and Other Atypical Plasma Cell Disorders.- Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance.