SynthesisTumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine2016
Thalidomide treatment for patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Tumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Thalidomide combined with transcatheter artierial chemoembolzation for primary hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Oncotarget · 2017Pooled it
- Awareness and Utilization of the Revised Second International Staging System (R2-ISS) and 1q21 Gain/Amplification Testing: A Nationwide Web-Based Survey of Hematologists in Japan.Cancer medicine · 2026Article
- Efficacy of Interventions for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: An Umbrella Review.Journal of clinical & experimental oncology · 2025Article
- A Novel Nanoemulsion Formula for an Improved Delivery of a Thalidomide Analogue to Triple-Negative Breast Cancer; Synthesis, Formulation, Characterization and Molecular Studies.International journal of nanomedicine · 2023Article
- Treatment pattern and clinical outcomes in multiple myeloma patients in Japan using the Medical Data Vision claims database.PloS one · 2023Article
- Network meta-analysis of randomized trials in multiple myeloma: Efficacy and safety in frontline therapy for patients not eligible for transplant.Hematological oncology · 2022Article
- Construction of a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network Reveals Potential Mechanism and Treatment Options for Osteosarcoma.Frontiers in genetics · 2021Article
- Preparation, characterization, in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effect of thalidomide nanoparticles on lung cancer.International journal of nanomedicine · 2018Article
- Thalidomide and lenalidomide for recurrent ovarian cancer: A systematic review of the literature.Oncology letters · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The efficacy and safety of thalidomide as an initial treatment in myeloma patients who were unsuitable for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), as induction treatment prior to ASCT, or as a maintenance treatment was unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the benefits and risks of thalidomide for previously untreated myeloma patients. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of thalidomide used in either induction or maintenance therapy for previously untreated myeloma patients. Twenty-two RCTs enrolling 9098 patients were identified, including 15 RCTs of induction thalidomide, 6 RCTs of maintenance thalidomide, and 1 RCT of induction and maintenance thalidomide. Induction thalidomide improved overall response rate (ORR) (risk ratio (RR) 1.54, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.30-1.83), complete response rate (CRR) (RR 3.03, 95 % CI 1.91-4.80), progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio (HR) 0.65, 95 % CI 0.56-0.76), and overall survival (OS) (HR 0.78, 95 % CI 0.67-0.91) in patients who were not allowed to receive ASCT. Induction thalidomide improved pre-ASCT ORR (RR 1.20, 95 % CI 1.11-1.30), pre-ASCT and post-ASCT CRR (RR 1.47, 95 % CI 1.12-1.93 and RR 1.23, 95 % CI 1.00-1.50, respectively), and PFS (HR 0.73, 95 % CI 0.59-0.91) in patients who were allowed to receive ASCT, but it did not improve post-ASCT ORR (RR 1.04, 95 % CI 0.99-1.09) and OS (HR 0.91, 95 % CI 0.79-1.05). Improved PFS and prolonged OS were observed (HR 0.61, 95 % CI 0.53-0.70 and HR 0.77, 95 % CI 0.62-0.95, respectively) when thalidomide was added to maintenance therapy. More patients experienced venous thromboembolism (VTE) of grade 3/4 when thalidomide was added to induction or maintenance therapy (HR 2.15, 95 % CI 1.58-2.92 and RR 1.96, 95 % CI 1.13-3.40, respectively). Induction thalidomide still increased the risk of VTE (RR 1.53, 95 % CI 1.12-2.08) after VTE prophylaxis was used. Induction thalidomide effectively improved CRR, ORR, and PFS (except post-ASCT ORR). Notably, induction thalidomide improved OS in patients who were not allowed to receive ASCT but not in patients who were allowed to receive ASCT. The addition of thalidomide to maintenance therapy improved both PFS and OS. However, thalidomide led to a greater risk of VTE with grade 3/4. This risk did not disappear after VTE prophylaxis was used in induction therapy with thalidomide.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.