Abstract

JIMENEZ LOZANO, I.  and  JUAREZ JIMENEZ, J. C.. Review of evidence of thalidomide and lenalidomide in different hematological diseases: chronic lymphocytic leukemia, primary amyloidosis, myelofibrosis and syndrome myelodysplastic. Farm Hosp. [online]. 2013, vol.37, n.4, pp.322-334. ISSN 2171-8695.  https://dx.doi.org/10.7399/FH.2013.37.4.677.

Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory drug approved by the AEMPS and the EMA, in combination with dexamethasone, for the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Moreover, it has recently been approved for the treatment of patients with transfusion-dependent anaemia due to low- or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes associated with an isolated deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality when other therapeutic options are insufficient or inadequate. It has also shown to be active in other hematologic and no hematologic diseases. Growing evidence of its use entails a challenge when situating the drug in a cost-effective way to treat these diseases. On this article we review the available evidence on the use of lenalidomide in the second line treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, primary amyloidosis and primary myelofibrosis, and in the first line treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, and also the evidence of other immunomodulators. Different clinical practice guidelines and scientific evidence portals consider lenalidomide a valid alternative in the first-line treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, specially those with the deletion of 5q, and in second line for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the available evidence of lenalidomide in the treatment of patients with primary amyloidosis and primary myelofibrosis is limited, ant thus is not considered as the first choice treatment. In any case, the treatment of choice should consider the safety profile in each patient, the previous treatments that has received and the own therapeutic protocols of each center.

Keywords : Lenalidomide; Thalidomide; Immunomodulatory drugs; Chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Primary amyloidosis; Primary myelofibrosis; myelodysplatic syndrome.

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