High-Dose Melphalan, Total-Body Irradiation, and Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Multiple Myeloma in First Relapse

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining peripheral stem cell transplantation with chemotherapy and radiation therapy may allow the doctor to give higher doses of radiation and chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of high-dose melphalan plus total-body irradiation and peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients with multiple myeloma in first relapse.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Maximum age

65 Years

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Multiple myeloma confirmed by bone marrow plasmacytosis and with measurable M-component in the serum or urine by immunoelectrophoresis or immunofixation No Stage I myeloma No smoldering multiple myeloma Refractory to or in first relapse following an initial response to VAD (vincristine/doxorubicin/dexamethasone), with relapse defined as any of the following: 50% increase above the lowest remission level of serum or urine M-protein while on therapy 25-50% increase above the lowest remission level of serum or urine M-protein associated with either: Hypercalcemia (greater than 11 mg/dl) Hb decrease of 2 g/dl attributable to increasing marrow plasmacytosis Appearance of new lytic lesions Calcium no greater than 11 mg/dl No myeloma meningitis No plasma cell leukemia

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 to 65 Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 500 (after G-CSF) Platelets greater than 25,000 Hepatic: Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dl Renal: Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dl Cardiovascular: No NYHA class II-IV disease Pulmonary: DLCO at least 50% of predicted FVC at least 75% of predicted FEV1 at least 60% of predicted Other: No uncontrolled infection No active fungal infection No fever No prior malignancy within 5 years except: Basal cell skin cancer In situ carcinoma of the cervix No pregnant or nursing women

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Prior biological response modifiers allowed Chemotherapy: No time limit between cytotoxic therapy and protocol treatment Prior cumulative melphalan dose less than 300 mg Endocrine therapy: Corticosteroids for hypercalcemia allowed Radiotherapy: Prior radiotherapy allowed Prior pelvic radiotherapy allowed, but patients with such therapy are unlikely to have adequate PBSC harvested Surgery: Not specified

• BACKGROUNDPorrata LF, Gertz MA, Inwards DJ, Litzow MR, Lacy MQ, Tefferi A, Gastineau DA, Dispenzieri A, Ansell SM, Micallef IN, Geyer SM, Markovic SN. Early lymphocyte recovery predicts superior survival after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Blood. 2001 Aug 1;98(3):579-85. doi: 10.1182/blood.v98.3.579. PMID 11468153
• BACKGROUNDRajkumar SV, Fonseca R, Dispenzieri A, Lacy MQ, Witzig TE, Lust JA, Larson D, Therneau TM, Kyle RA, Litzow MR, Greipp PR, Gertz MA. Effect of complete response on outcome following autologous stem cell transplantation for myeloma. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2000 Nov;26(9):979-83. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1702640. PMID 11100277
• RESULTGertz MA, Lacy MQ, Inwards DJ, Gastineau DA, Tefferi A, Chen MG, Witzig TE, Greipp PR, Litzow MR. Delayed stem cell transplantation for the management of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2000 Jul;26(1):45-50. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1702445. PMID 10918404
• RESULTGertz MA, Lacy MQ, Inwards DJ, Chen MG, Pineda AA, Gastineau DA, Greipp PR, Lust JA, Tefferi A, Witzig TE, Kyle RA, Litzow MR. Early harvest and late transplantation as an effective therapeutic strategy in multiple myeloma. Bone Marrow Transplant. 1999 Feb;23(3):221-6. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1701559. PMID 10084252
• RESULTRajkumar S, Fonseca R, Lacy M, Witzig T, Lust J, Greipp P, Therneau T, Kyle R, Litzow M, Gertz M. Abnormal cytogenetics predict poor survival after high-dose therapy and autologous blood cell transplantation in multiple myeloma. Bone Marrow Transplant. 1999 Sep;24(5):497-503. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1701943. PMID 10482933
• RESULTRajkumar SV, Fonseca R, Dewald GW, Therneau TM, Lacy MQ, Kyle RA, Greipp PR, Gertz MA. Cytogenetic abnormalities correlate with the plasma cell labeling index and extent of bone marrow involvement in myeloma. Cancer Genet Cytogenet. 1999 Aug;113(1):73-7. doi: 10.1016/s0165-4608(99)00009-6.