Novel agents for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma

The immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD) thalidomide and lenalidomide,and the proteasome inhibitor (PI) bortezomib have dramatically improved clinical outcomes for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma(MM).But a part of patients become refractory or intolerant to these agents.Numerous agents are currently in clinical development,including new IMiD (pomalidomide),new PI (eg,carfilzomib,MLN9708,and marizomib),histone deacetylase inhibitors (eg,panobinostat and vorinostat) and signal transduction modulators (eg,perifosine),and have demonstrated promising anti-myeloma activity in patients with relapsed/refractory MM,particularly in those who are refractory to approved novel agents.This article describes antimyeloma agents currently available or in clinical development for relapsed/refractory patients. Key words: Multiple myeloma;  Relapsed;  Refractory;  Treatment