Further evaluation of gallium nitrate to attenuate progression of disease in patients with multiple myeloma is warranted.

Agents which have been investigated include gallium nitrate, interferon-alpha and paclitaxel both as single agents and in combination with established cytotoxic drugs.

These data suggest that gallium nitrate may have a positive, indirect benefit on survival in myeloma by decreasing the rate of bone resorption.

Gallium nitrate was shown in a small, randomized trial to attenuate the rate of bone loss in patients with myeloma treated with chemotherapy.