Although treatment with the bispecific antibody teclistamab was approved for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, based on the MajesTEC-1 study results, only 15% of patients in the phase I/II trial were aged 75 or older. To learn more about the safety and efficacy of this agent in older patients with this type of hematologic malignancy, researchers led by Oren Pasvolsky, MD, and Hans Lee, MD, conducted a multicenter study from the U.S. Multiple Myeloma Immunotherapy Consortium.1
Oren Pasvolsky, MD
Hans Lee, MD
In this study, they examined age-related outcomes in 385 patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who were treated with teclistamab, including 302 patients (78%) younger than age 75 and 83 patients (22%) aged 75 or older. They reported no significant differences in cytokine-release syndrome, immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome, survival outcomes, or response rates between the older and younger groups. The overall response rates were 62% and 53% in the older and younger groups, respectively, and progression-free survival was 10.7 months and 5.2 months, respectively. In addition, compared with the younger group, the older group had fewer adverse baseline disease characteristics, including a lower incidence of high-risk cytogenetics (44.6% vs 57.9%, P = .03) and extramedullary disease (22% vs 40%, P = .02).
“Our findings suggest that teclistamab is safe and efficacious in well-selected patients ≥ 75 years old, and advanced age alone should not preclude teclistamab administration,” the investigators concluded.
DISCLOSURE: This study was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute. For full disclosures of the study authors, visit nature.com.
REFERENCE
1. Pasvolsky O, Dima D, Feng L, et al: Outcomes of elderly patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma treated with teclistamab: A multicenter study from the U.S. Multiple Myeloma Immunotherapy Consortium. Blood Cancer J 15:92, 2025.
