The results of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group's Phase III clinical trial for multiple myeloma showed significantly better overall survival using low-dose dexamethasone (steroid) therapy as compared with high-dose dexamethasone.

"The standard treatment for myeloma usually includes high doses of steroids such as dexamethasone. In this study we were hoping to find a lower dose of steroids would be just as effective," said Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, the study's lead investigator. "We were surprised to find that the regimen with high-dose steroids actually was decreasing survival, besides contributing to increased side effects.

"The lower survival rates with the high-dose dexamethasone can be attributed to disease progression as well as treatment-related toxicities," he added. "This is a major advance in the treatment of this cancer, and also gives researchers a new direction to explore -- that more is not necessarily better."

The research was presented Monday in Atlanta during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.