Bortezomib, Ascorbic Acid, and Melphalan in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Newly diagnosed symptomatic multiple myeloma based on the following criteria:

  * Durie-Salmon staging
  * Measurable disease, defined as a monoclonal immunoglobulin spike on serum electrophoresis of ≥ 1 g/dL and/or urine monoclonal immunoglobulin spike of ≥ 200 mg/24 hours
* Symptomatic disease
* No POEMS syndrome (plasma cell dyscrasia with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein \[M-protein\], and skin changes)
* No plasma cell leukemia

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Karnofsky performance status 60-100%
* Life expectancy \> 3 months
* Platelet count ≥ 50,000/mm³ (30,000/mm³ if the bone marrow is extensively infiltrated)
* Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm³
* Creatinine ≤ 3 mg/dL
* Sodium \> 130 mmol/L corrected
* AST and ALT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Bilirubin ≤ 2 times ULN unless clearly related to the disease
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Any ECG abnormality has to be documented by the investigator as not medically relevant
* No electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or new conduction system abnormalities
* No myocardial infarction or EKG evidence of infarction within the past 6 months
* No active infection
* No severe hypercalcemia (i.e., serum calcium ≥ 14 mg/dL \[3.5 mmol/L\])
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure
* No uncontrolled angina
* No severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias
* No active conduction system abnormalities
* No poorly controlled hypertension
* No diabetes mellitus
* No known HIV infection
* No known active hepatitis B or C viral infection
* No history of grand mal seizures
* No history of allergic reaction to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to melphalan, bortezomib, boron, or mannitol
* No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2 within the past 14 days
* No other serious medical or psychiatric illness that could potentially interfere with the completion of study treatment

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy, antibody therapy, or radiotherapy
* More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery
* No prior therapy for myeloma

  * Prior prednisone at a total of 400mg over ≤ 4 days (or an equivalent potency of another steroid) allowed
* No concurrent corticosteroids (≥ 10 mg prednisone/day or equivalent)
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* No other concurrent antimyeloma therapy