@article {8105,
	title = {Comparison of vincristine, carmustine, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, prednisone (VBMCP) and interferon-α with melphalan and prednisone (MP) and interferon-α (IFN-α in patients with good-prognosis multiple myeloma: A prospective randomized study},
	journal = {European Journal of Haematology},
	volume = {66},
	year = {2001},
	note = {Cited By :8Export Date: 21 February 2017},
	month = {2001},
	pages = {18 - 23},
	abstract = {Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate, in a selected group of myeloma patients with favorable prognosis, the effect, on response and survival, of polychymotherapy compared with melphalan-prednisone, plus interferon in both arms. Methods: Eighty-nine previously untreated patients with multiple myeloma and prognostic factors indicating a good prognosis were randomized to either oral melphalan plus prednisone (MP) in combination with recombinant interferon-α (rIFN-α) or combination chemotherapy with vincristine, carmustine, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone (VBMCP) alternating with rIFN-α. The two treatment groups were comparable in terms of pretreatment characteristics. Results: The overall response rate was 67.4\% (2.3\% complete remission, 65.1\% partial response) in the MP/IFN-α group and 69.1\% (14.3\% complete remission, 54.8\% partial response) in the VBMCP/IFN-α group (p = 0.59). There were no differences also in response duration and overall survival between the two treatment groups. The median response duration was 39.1 months in the MP/IFN-α group and was not reached in the VBMCP/IFN-α group (p = 0.6). Overall survival was long in both treatment groups. The estimated 5-yr survival was 66\% and 62\% in the MP/IFN-α and VBMCP/IFN-α group, respectively (p = 0.8). Toxicity was modest and treatments were well tolerated. Neutropenia (WHO grade 3 or 4) was higher, but not statistically significant, in the VBMCP/IFN-α group. Conclusions: The results of the study show that in myeloma patients with good prognosis, combination chemotherapy alternating with interferon-α has no advantage over conventional MP plus interferon-α, in regard to response rate, response duration, and overall survival of patients. {\textcopyright} Munksgaard 2001.},
	keywords = {Chemotherapy, Interferon-α, myeloma, Prognostic factors},
	url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0035140386\&doi=10.1034\%2fj.1600-0609.2001.00285.x\&partnerID=40\&md5=95bd0369534c4f4184782d1853dfd9aa},
	author = {Zervas, K. and Pouli, A. and Gregoraki, B. and Anagnostopoulos, N. and Dimopoulos, M.A. and Bourantas, K. and Tzilianos, M. and Barbarousi, D. and Venetis, E. and Vyniou, N. and Maniatis, A.}
}
