1. ¹Divisione di Ematologia dell'Università di Torino, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Giovanni Battista, Ospedale Molinette, Torino, Italy
2. ²Department of Hematology/Oncology, Charité–Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Germany
3. ³Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
4. ⁴Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca. CIC, IBMCC (USAL-CSIC), Salamanca, Spain
5. ⁵Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
6. ⁶Department of Clinical Hematology, University Hospital, Nantes, France
7. ⁷Center for Lymphoma and Myeloma, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
8. ⁸Institute of Cancer Research, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK
9. ⁹Blood Bank and Stem Cell Processing Laboratory, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
10. ¹⁰Erasmus MC, Department of Hematology, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
11. ¹¹Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
12. ¹²Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
13. ¹³Institute of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Seragnoli, Bologna, Italy
14. ¹⁴Department of Hematology, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
15. ¹⁵Universitätsklinik Würzburg, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Wurzburg, Germany
16. ¹⁶Department of Clinical Therapeutics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
17. ¹⁷Department of Haematology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
18. ¹⁸Department of Medicine, Cross Cancer Institute, Alberta, Canada
19. ¹⁹Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya City Midori General Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
20. ²⁰Division of Hematology-Oncology, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea
21. ²¹Department of Hematology, Service d'Hématologie, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France
22. ²²Department of Biostatistics, Service d'Hématologie, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France
23. ²³Department of Hematology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
24. ²⁴Department of Oncology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
25. ²⁵First Medical Department and Medical Oncology, Wilhelminenspital, Vienna, Austria
26. ²⁶Institute of Hematology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Bosch University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
27. ²⁷Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China
28. ²⁸Department of Hematology, Clinica São Germano, São Paolo, Brazil
29. ²⁹Department of Hematology/Medicine, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
30. ³⁰Aptium Oncology Inc., Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Cancer Center at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA
31. ³¹Department of Hematology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Correspondence: Dr A Palumbo, Divisione di Ematologia dell'Università di Torino, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Giovanni Battista, Ospedale Molinette, Via Genova 3, Torino 10126, Italy. E-mail: appalumbo@yahoo.com

See Appendix.

Received 8 April 2009; Accepted 14 April 2009; Published online 4 June 2009.

Abstract

In 2005, the first guidelines were published on the management of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). An expert panel reviewed the currently available literature as the basis for a set of revised and updated consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with MM who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation. Here we present recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment of newly diagnosed non-transplant-eligible patients and the management of complications occurring during induction therapy among these patients. These guidelines will aid the physician in daily clinical practice and will ensure optimal care for patients with MM.