• Overall survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Hematologic response [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Qualitative and quantitative toxicity [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Prognostic significance of cytogenetic markers [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine overall survival of patients with high-risk multiple myeloma, primary systemic amyloidosis, or light chain deposition disease treated with two courses of modified high-dose melphalan and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
• Determine the hematologic response in patients treated with this regimen.
• Determine the qualitative and quantitative toxic effects of this regimen in these patients.
• Determine the prognostic significance of cytogenetic markers in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to disease (high-risk multiple myeloma vs primary systemic amyloidosis vs both).

• Induction therapy (multiple myeloma patients only): Patients receive oral dexamethasone on days 1-4, 9-12, and 17-20 and oral thalidomide daily on days 1-35. Treatment repeats every 35 days for 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

• Mobilization and stem cell collection:

  • Multiple myeloma patients: Within 28-35 days after completion of induction therapy, patients receive cyclophosphamide IV over 2-3 hours on day 1 and filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneously (SC) daily beginning on day 2 and continuing through the day before the last leukapheresis. Usage of mesna IV on day 1 (prior to and twice after cyclophosphamide administration is recommended).
  • Primary systemic amyloidosis patients: Patients receive G-CSF SC daily beginning on day 1 and continuing through the day before the last leukapheresis.

All patients undergo leukapheresis for the collection of stem cells until the target number of CD34+ cells is reached.

• Conditioning regimen: Within 1-4 weeks after mobilization, patients receive modified high-dose melphalan IV over 20 minutes on day -2.
• Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) reinfusion: PBSCs are reinfused on day 0. Patients receive G-CSF SC daily beginning on day 1 and continuing until blood counts recover.

Patients undergo a second autologous PBSC transplantation within 3-6 months, but no later than 12 months, after the first transplantation.

• Second conditioning regimen: Patients receive modified high-dose melphalan IV over 20 minutes on day -2.
• Second PBSC infusion: PBSCs are infused on day 0.
• Maintenance regimen (multiple myeloma patients only): Between 4-8 weeks after the second transplantation, patients with no progressive disease receive oral dexamethasone once daily on days 1-4 and oral thalidomide once daily on days 1-28. Courses repeat every 28 days for 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients are followed at 3 and 6 months and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 100 patients will be accrued for this study within 20-25 months.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• At least 1 of the following diagnoses:

  • Multiple myeloma

    • Stage II or III disease

    • At least 1 of the following must be present:

      • Serum M-protein of IgG, IgA, IgD, IgE greater than 1.0 g/dL
      • Urinary M-protein (Bence-Jones) at least 200 mg/24 hours
    • No IgM peaks except in patients who have physiologic criteria to support a diagnosis of multiple myeloma (e.g., bony lesions, myeloma kidney-cast nephropathy, absence of adenopathy [unless pathology-proven to be plasma cell infiltration])
    • No monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance
    • No indolent or smoldering myeloma
    • No disease progression on prior thalidomide or dexamethasone

  • Histologically confirmed primary systemic amyloidosis

    • No senile, secondary, localized, dialysis-related, or familial amyloidosis

    • No severe cardiac involvement

      • No pre-exertional syncope, ventricular arrhythmia, or symptomatic pleural effusions associated with cardiac involvement

  • Light Chain Deposition Disease alone or in combination with multiple myeloma meeting the following criteria:

    • Deposition of granular material containing free light chains/immunoglobulins that did not bind Congo red
    • Evidence of plasma cell dyscrasia (i.e., monoclonal gammopathy in the serum or urine by immunofixation electrophoresis and/or clonal plasmacytosis) on bone marrow biopsy by immunohistochemistry and/or elevated serum-free light chain concentration
• Must have been diagnosed within the past year
• Concurrent enrollment in the myeloma repository protocol SWOG-S0309 must be offered

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over (patients with amyloidosis only OR patients with amyloidosis and multiple myeloma OR patients with multiple myeloma only with poor renal function) OR
• 70 and over (patients with multiple myeloma only with or without poor renal function)

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-2

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

• Bilirubin no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.5 times ULN

Renal

• No hemodialysis within 2 hours of melphalan or stem cell infusion

Cardiovascular

• See Disease Characteristics
• Hemodynamically stable (i.e., systolic blood pressure > 90 mm Hg in a lying position within the past 42 days)
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• No congestive heart failure
• No arrhythmia refractory to medical therapy
• LVEF greater than 45% by echocardiogram or MUGA

Pulmonary

• See Disease Characteristics
• No history of chronic obstructive or chronic restrictive pulmonary disease
• Pulmonary function studies (e.g., FEV_1 and FVC) at least 50% of predicted
• DLCO at least 50% of predicted
• Normal high resolution CT scan of the chest and acceptable arterial blood gases (i.e., PO_2 greater than 70) required for patients unable to complete pulmonary function tests due to bone pain or fracture

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test

• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

  • Multiple myeloma patients receiving thalidomide must use 2 methods of effective contraception for at least 4 weeks before, during, and for at least 4 weeks after discontinuation of thalidomide
• HIV negative
• No other concurrent significant medical condition
• No concurrent uncontrolled life-threatening infection
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated stage I or II cancer currently in complete remission

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior cumulative melphalan dose no more than 200 mg
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• No concurrent hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• Recovered from prior therapy
• Prior or concurrent bisphosphonates allowed