Open Access 01-12-2018 | Case report
Roxithromycin monotherapy inducing a partial response in a patient with myeloma: a case report
Published in: Journal of Medical Case Reports | Issue 1/2018
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Background
Clarithromycin is an efficacious treatment for myeloma in combination with other anti-myeloma therapy but not as monotherapy. To date, all studies have focused on a clarithromycin-specific effect rather than a class effect (macrolide) and there is no information on the activity of roxithromycin in myeloma.
Case presentation
Here we report an untreated 86-year-old New Zealand European white man with IgA myeloma whose paraprotein decreased by 57%, consistent with a partial response, after a course of roxithromycin for pneumonia. His paraprotein reduced from 46 to 20 g/L while his hemoglobin improved from 97 to 123 g/L after 1 month.
Conclusion
Additional investigations should be considered to elucidate the therapeutic effect of roxithromycin in myeloma.