Romiplostim in Increasing Low Platelet Counts in Patients With Multiple Myeloma Receiving Chemotherapy

Inclusion Criteria:

Voluntary written informed consent before performance of any study-related procedure not part of normal medical care, with the understanding that consent may be withdrawn by the subject at any time without prejudice to future medical care
Subject is not pregnant or breast feeding, and cannot become pregnant within 30 days after the end of treatment
Female subject of child bearing potential must be willing to use, in combination with her partner, 2 forms highly effective contraception during treatment and for 1 month after the end of treatment

Diagnosis of any stage of multiple myeloma based on standard criteria as follows:

Major criteria

Plasmacytomas on tissue biopsy
Bone marrow plasmacytosis (> 30% plasma cells)
Monoclonal immunoglobulin spike on serum electrophoresis (immunoglobin G [IgG] > 3.5 G/dL or immunoglobin A [IgA] > 2.0 G/dL) or kappa or lambda light chain excretion > 1 G/day on 24 hour urine protein electrophoresis

Minor criteria

Bone marrow plasmacytosis (10 to 30% plasma cells)
Monoclonal immunoglobulin present but of lesser magnitude than given under major criteria
Lytic bone lesions
Normal immunoglobin M (IgM) < 50 mg/dL, IgA < 100 mg/dL, or IgG < 600 mg/dL

Any of the following sets of criteria will confirm the diagnosis of multiple myeloma:

Any two of the major criteria
Major criterion 1 plus minor criterion b, c, or d
Major criterion 3 plus minor criterion a or c
Minor criteria a, b and c or a, b and d
Karnofsky performance status >= 50
Platelet count =< 50 x 10^9/L untransfused of at least 2 weeks duration, secondary to prior chemotherapy. If there is a platelet count of > or = 50 x 10(9)/L after a transfusion, that value will be discounted.

This may include a combination regimen including lenalidomide; these regimens will include dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, cisplatin (DCEP), Velcade with Doxil, Cytoxan and/or lenalidomide; patients who have thrombocytopenia (CIT) from lenalidomide or from radiation therapy alone will not be allowed

Calculated or measured creatinine clearance >= 30 mL/min

Exclusion Criteria:

POEMS syndrome (plasma cell dyscrasia with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein [M-protein] and skin changes)
Plasma cell leukemia
Receiving steroids daily for other medical conditions, e.g., asthma, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis
Infection not controlled by antibiotics
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; patients should provide consent for HIV testing according to the institution's standard practice
Known active hepatitis B or C
Patient had myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to enrollment, New York Hospital Association (NYHA) class III or IV heart failure, uncontrolled angina, severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias, or electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or active conduction system abnormalities; prior to study entry, any electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality at screening must be documented by the investigator as not medically relevant
Diagnosed or treated for another malignancy within 3 years of enrollment, with the exception of complete resection of basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, an in situ malignancy, or low-risk prostate cancer after curative therapy
Other serious medical or psychiatric illness that could potentially interfere with the completion of treatment according to this protocol
Female subject is pregnant or lactating; confirmation that the subject is not pregnant must be established by a negative serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) pregnancy test result obtained during screening; pregnancy testing is not required for postmenopausal or surgically sterilized women
Patient has > 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) total bilirubin
Patients with existing deep venous thrombosis will be excluded
Patients receiving maintenance therapy with myelosuppressive medications such as lenalidomide will be excluded