• Event-free survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Partial response and complete response [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Overall survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Progression-free survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Toxicity [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the efficacy of doxorubicin, dexamethasone, and high-dose melphalan with versus without thalidomide, in terms of event-free survival, of patients with multiple myeloma.
• Determine the response rate, complete response rate, overall survival, and progression-free survival of patients treated with these regimens.
• Determine the safety and toxicity of thalidomide in combination with intensive chemotherapy in these patients.
• Assess the value of prognostic factors at diagnosis in individual patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to participating center and treatment policy (1 course vs 2 courses of high-dose melphalan). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

Arm I:

• Patients receive induction chemotherapy (AD) comprising doxorubicin IV on days 1-4 and oral dexamethasone on days 1-4, 9-12, and 17-20. Patients receive oral thalidomide daily beginning on day 1 and continuing until 2 weeks before start of stem cell mobilization. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Patients receive stem cell mobilization with chemotherapy comprising cyclophosphamide IV on day 1 and doxorubicin IV and oral dexamethasone on days 1-4 (CAD). Patients also receive filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneously (SC) beginning on day 5 and continuing until last apheresis.
• Beginning 8-10 weeks after stem cell collection, patients receive low-dose oral thalidomide daily and high-dose melphalan IV on days -3 and -2 as intensification. Patients undergo stem cell infusion on day 0. Patients may receive a second course of high-dose melphalan 2-3 months after the first course, in which case, stem cell infusion follows the second course of melphalan.
• Patients receive maintenance therapy with oral thalidomide daily until disease progression or after 3 months if no response.
• Beginning 2 months after the last course, patients with an HLA-identical sibling donor undergo nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation after radiotherapy.

Arm II:

• Patients receive induction chemotherapy (VAD) comprising vincristine IV and doxorubicin IV on days 1-4 and dexamethasone on days 1-4, 9-12, and 17-20. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Patients receive stem cell mobilization with CAD chemotherapy as in arm I. G-CSF is given as in arm I.
• Patients receive high-dose melphalan and undergo stem cell infusion as in arm I.
• Patients receive maintenance therapy with interferon alfa SC 3 times weekly until progression or after 3 months if no partial response.
• Beginning 2 months after the last course, patients with an HLA-identical sibling donor undergo nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation after radiotherapy.

All patients are followed every 6 months for 3 years and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 450 patients (225 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study within 4 years.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed multiple myeloma

  • Stage II or III
• No systemic amyloid light-chain amyloidosis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 to 65

Performance status:

• WHO 0-3

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• No significant hepatic dysfunction*
• Bilirubin less than 1.75 mg/dL*
• AST/ALT less than 2.5 times normal* NOTE: *Unless related to myeloma

Renal:

• Not specified

Cardiovascular:

• No severe cardiac dysfunction
• No New York Heart Association class II, III, or IV heart disease

Other:

• HIV negative
• No active uncontrolled infection
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No known intolerance to thalidomide
• Not pregnant
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Patients 18 to 55 years of age must not have been allocated before study randomization to allogeneic stem cell transplantation with an HLA-identical sibling donor

Chemotherapy:

• No more than 2 prior courses of melphalan and prednisone therapy for local myeloma progression
• No other prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• Prior local radiotherapy for local myeloma progression allowed
• No other prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• Not specified