Thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide have recently changed the treatment paradigm of myeloma. In young, newly diagnosed patients, the combination of thalidomide and dexamethasone has been widely used as induction treatment before autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). In 2 randomized studies, consolidation or maintenance with low-dose thalidomide has extended both progression-free an...

Thalidomide is an immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic drug. Thalidomide exerts its effects by decreasing circulating CD4 positive T-cells and stimulating CD8 positive T-cells, by increasing the number of Natural Killer cells and T-helper 2 cells. Thalidomide also inhibits proliferation of stimulated T-cells and leukocyte chemotaxis. It modifies a number of integrin receptors...

Multiple myeloma (MM) is thrombogenic as a consequence of multiple hemostatic effects. Thalidomide is an effective treatment; however, it has been associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events including pulmonary hypertension (PH). PH in the absence of thromboembolic events has also been described in some patients with MM during thalidomide treatment. We experienced occurrence of P...

BACKGROUND Thalidomide inhibits angiogenesis and exerts complex immunomodulatory activities. This phase II study aimed to examine the efficacy of thalidomide in Taiwanese patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty patients [intention to treat group (ITT)] with MDS were treated with thalidomide (100 mg/day, increased by 100 mg/day weekly to a maximum of 400 mg/day...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The immunomodulatory drug thalidomide can inhibit angiogenesis and induce apoptosis in experimental models. It can also induce marked and durable response in advanced myeloma patients. Thalidomide has been used at doses ranging from 200 to 800 mg with significant toxicity. No data are available on the impact of low-dose thalidomide plus dexamethasone as salvage therapy...

The aim of this systematic review was taken to investigate the efficacy and safety of docetaxel plus thalidomide vs. docetaxel alone for treating androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). Data were collected from different databases independently by three researchers according to the pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Total three studies were finally included, indicating that doce...

With the use of the International Working Group for Myelofibrosis Treatment and Research consensus criteria, we re-assessed the efficacy of thalidomide and lenalidomide in 125 patients with myelofibrosis treated in 3 consecutive phase 2 trials: 44 received single-agent thalidomide, 41 single-agent lenalidomide, and 40 a combination of lenalidomide plus prednisone. The thalidomide group included...

AIM To evaluate the efficacy of thalidomide for treating troublesome cases of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD) with tuberculosis infection. METHODS A retrospective study of clinical outcome among children treated with thalidomide was conducted. All patients had evidence of tuberculosis infection with a failure of anti-tuberculosis treatment for more than one year, and were subsequently diagnose...

Inhibition of angiogenesis is currently perceived as one of the promising strategies in the treatment of cancer. The antiangiogenic property of thalidomide has inspired a second wave of research on this teratogenic drug. Previous studies from our group and others demonstrated that metabolites of thalidomide are responsible for the drug's pharmacological actions. On the basis of the structures o...

Thalidomide is an effective drug for the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). ENL is an inflammatory reaction that may occur in multibacillary leprosy patients. Its cause(s) as well as the mechanism of thalidomide in arresting this condition are not fully understood. It has been suggested that ENL is an immune complex-mediated hypersensitivity precipitated by the release of Mycobacteri...