Induction treatment

In the first instance, induction treatment with standard dose anti-myeloma treatment is given to achieve the best possible response before a stem cell harvest.

The goal of induction treatment is to reduce the amount of myeloma cells in the bone marrow but to spare the stem cells. It is therefore important to avoid drugs that are toxic to haematopoietic stem cells. For this reason regimens containing melphalan are not used prior to HDT-SCT.