bortezomib + epirubicin + dexamethasone

PAD is a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of bortezomib, epirubicin, and dexamethasone, primarily utilized as an induction therapy for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor that targets the 26S proteasome, disrupting protein degradation and inducing apoptosis in malignant plasma cells. Epirubicin, an anthracycline, acts by intercalating into DNA and inhibiting topoisomerase II, thereby preventing DNA replication and repair. Dexamethasone is a potent glucocorticoid that exerts anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects while also directly inducing apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells. This triplet regimen is often compared to other induction therapies like VCD (bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone) to evaluate efficacy in achieving deep responses prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).

Other names

PAD regimenBortezomib-Epirubicin-Dexamethasone