Treatment of Relapsed Myeloma in a Patient With Renal Insufficiency

A 45-year-old man was diagnosed in March 2010 with stage III immunoglobulin G kappa multiple myeloma (MM) after presenting with bone pain as a result of multiple lytic bone lesions and T12 vertebral collapse. Laboratory work-up showed a serum M protein of 72 g/L and a 24-hour kappa light-chain urine protein excretion of 730 mg, hemoglobin of 10.2 g/dL, serum albumin of 49 g/L, serum beta(2)-microglobulin of 6.4 mg/L, serum creatinine level of 1.6mg/dL with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 47mL/min/1.73m(2), and normal serum calcium and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. His bone marrow contained 58% plasma cells, which showed the 17p deletion abnormality (Fig 1). He was treated with vertebroplasty and alternating chemotherapy with carmustine, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, and prednisone and vincristine, carmustine, doxorubicin and dexamethasone. Because of progressive disease, salvage therapy with bortezomib and dexamethasone was administered with no response. The patient was then switched to lenalidomide and dexamethasone, which yielded minimal response. He underwent autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) with melphalan 200 mg/m(2) as high-dose therapy in February 2011, which led to a partial response, but in December 2011, progressive disease was documented, and the patient was enrolled in a clinical trial of carfilzomib monotherapy, with stable disease for 33 cycles. In October 2014 serum M protein rose to 38.6 g/L, with 24-hour kappa light-chain urine protein excretion of 840 mg, serum creatinine of 2.1 mg/dL, and an eGFR of 41 mL/min/1.73 m(2). He presented to discuss ongoing treatment options.