A retrospective cohort study published in Blood Cancer Journal by Gasoyan et al revealed discrepancies between the timing of the initiation of any treatment and the fill of prescriptions for oral antimyeloma medications in patients with multiple myeloma, with a lower likelihood of Black and older...
For relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, there are three available bispecific antibodies—two that target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and one that targets G protein–coupled receptor class C group 5 member D (GPRC5D). Which is the preferred target? This question was addressed at the 2024...
Researchers have found that a blood test may effectively identify patients with type 2 diabetes who may be at a higher risk of developing certain cancers, according to new findings to be presented by Bennetsen et al at the upcoming European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting 2024...
Researchers have offered a comprehensive understanding of the progression of multiple myeloma from a treatable condition to a high-risk disease by providing insights into its genetic diversity and subtypes, according to a recent study published by Skerget et al in Nature Genetics. Background...
Investigators have explored the multifaceted nature of multiple myeloma and the potential of targeted therapies to treat patients with the disease, as summarized in a review published by Lu et al in Molecular Biomedicine. Background Multiple myeloma is a complex hematologic malignancy with...
On July 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro) in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) for induction and consolidation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are eligible for...
As reported in The Lancet by Martin Dreyling, MD, PhD, of Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital Munich, and colleagues, results in the European Mantle Cell Lymphoma Network phase III TRIANGLE trial indicate that the addition of ibrutinib to immunochemotherapy and autologous stem cell...
In newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible patients with multiple myeloma, treatment with the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody isatuximab plus bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) led to a 40% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death and “deep and sustained responses,” almost...
A simple blood test that measures lymphocyte counts may predict whether patients with relapsed multiple myeloma are going to respond well to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy, according to research published by Saldarriaga et al in Blood Advances. The study found that patients...
Two hallmark toxicities of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be rare after 2 weeks following infusion in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), supporting a shorter, more flexible toxicity monitoring period., according to a recent study published by Ahmed et al in...
Based on the results of a retrospective U.S. population–based cohort study, which were reported in JAMA Network Open by Wang et al, treatment with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists vs insulins seemed to be associated with a decreased risk of developing specific obesity-associated...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Bumma et al, the phase II portion of a first-in-human phase I/II trial (LINKER-MM1) showed strong activity with the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) x CD3 bispecific antibody linvoseltamab in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma....
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Philippe Moreau, MD, and colleagues, long-term follow-up of the phase III CASSIOPEIA trial has shown improved progression-free survival with daratumumab maintenance vs observation both among newly diagnosed patients with transplant-eligible multiple myeloma who ...
Recent phase III findings support the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf as a treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma in early relapse. Belantamab mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on multiple myeloma cells,...
As reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA105) and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Meletios Dimopoulos, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis from the phase III DREAMM-8 trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with belantamab mafodotin-blmf,...
As reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 7500) and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thierry Facon, MD, and colleagues, interim analysis of the phase III IMROZ trial showed significantly improved progression-free survival with the addition of isatuximab to bortezomib,...
Claudio Cerchione, MD, PhD, of Italy’s Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, discusses preliminary findings from a prospective trial suggesting that by adding whole-body MRI to fludeoxyglucose-18 (FDG) PET/CT scans, clinicians may detect bone lesions earlier and more...
Facing mortality can be a paralyzing experience for some people, but for others, it may ignite a passion to accelerate life. One such person is Kathy Giusti, cofounder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), where she served as Chief Executive Officer and President for nearly 20 years....
Paula Rodríguez-Otero, MD, PhD, of Spain’s Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra, and Amrita Y. Krishnan, MD, of the City of Hope Cancer Center, discuss two key studies on B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed therapies: CARTITUDE-4 on ciltacabtagene autoleucel in patients with...
Amrita Y. Krishnan, MD, of the City of Hope Cancer Center, and Paula Rodríguez-Otero, MD, PhD, of Spain’s Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra, discuss data that appear to further support daratumumab plus bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone as a new standard of care for...
Thierry Facon, MD, of the University of Lille and Lille University Hospital, discusses phase III findings showing for the first time that isatuximab, an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, when given with the standard of care (bortezomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone, or VRd) to patients with newly...
Luciano J. Costa, MD, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, discusses recent findings from the CARTITUDE-4 trial showing that, in patients with lenalidomide-refractory functional high-risk multiple myeloma after one prior line of treatment, ciltacabtagene autoleucel improved outcomes vs...
Suzanne Trudel, MD, of Canada’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, discusses phase III findings showing that, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had one or more prior lines of treatment, belantamab mafodotin-blmf plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone improved progression-free...
According to results from the phase III DREAMM-8 trial, adding belantamab mafodotin-blmf to pomalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma was more effective at slowing disease progression or death compared to the current standard-of-care triplet,...
Xavier P. Leleu, MD, PhD, of France’s Université de Poitiers and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Poitiers, discusses phase III findings showing that isatuximab in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone deepened responses and increased the rate of measurable residual...
The investigational bispecific antibody linvoseltamab (targeting B-cell maturation antigen [BCMA] and CD3) achieved high response rates with acceptable safety in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to results of the phase I/II LINKER-MM1 study...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Currently, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. The NCCN’s 29th Annual Conference...
Results from the Prognostic Immunophenotyping in Myeloma Response (PRIMeR) study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Marcelo C. Pasquini, MD, MS, and colleagues, found that undetectable measurable residual disease (MRD) status at 1 year after autologous hematopoietic cell...
Despite the extraordinary progress against cancer in the United States—illustrated by the continuing decline in the overall mortality rate, which fell by 33% between 1991 and 2020, and the increasing numbers of cancer survivors (over 18 million and climbing)—the burden of cancer remains...
The rate of survival following autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation may have increased among all racial and ethnic groups, but disparities may still exist among some patient groups, according to a recent study published by Khera et al in Blood Advances. Background Autologous ...
Investigators have uncovered persistent racial and social disparities that may impede access to autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation for some patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Esteghamat et al in Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia. Background...
Researchers have developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI) model that may accurately predict whether patients with cancer will respond to certain therapies, according to a recent study published by Sinha et al in Nature Cancer. The findings indicated that single-cell RNA sequencing data may be ...
Natalie S. Callander, MD, of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, discusses advances in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma, including her commentary on smoldering disease, the early use of CAR T-cell therapy, quadruplet therapy, and the use of multiple lines of treatment...
On April 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, and...
Researchers have found that venetoclax in combination with azacitidine may be effective at treating patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Flanagan et al in Haematologica. Background Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, the disease remains ...
In Kathy Giusti’s empowering and deeply personal book Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System (HarperCollins, 2024), she details the shock of being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, in 1996, at the age of 37. Told she had 3 years to live, the book recounts how Ms....
In 1996, at the age of 37, Kathy Giusti was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer multiple myeloma and told she had about 3 years to live. In the mid-1990s, effective therapies for this second most common blood cancer were nearly nonexistent. Standard of care for myeloma consisted of oral...
DREAMM-7, which evaluated belantamab mafodotin-blmf, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (BVd) in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, was discussed at the virtual session by Rachid Baz, MD, Myeloma Section Head and Co-Director of the Pentecost Family Myeloma Research Center at Moffitt Cancer Center, ...
Positive results with the use of belantamab mafodotin-blmf in the phase III DREAMM-7 study were presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024.1 In relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, DREAMM-7 evaluated the use of the regimen belantamab mafodotin, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (BVd)...
“Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” —Marcus Aurelius To complement The ASCO Post’s extensive coverage of the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are two important abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on induction and...
In an analysis reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Gurney et al identified factors associated with an increased risk of myeloid neoplasms after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Study Details Investigators identified adults who received CAR T-cell therapy between June 2016 ...
On March 5, the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Jubbonti (denosumab-bbdz, 60 mg/1 mL injection), as an interchangeable biosimilar to U.S.-licensed Prolia (denosumab), and Wyost (denosumab-bbdz, 120 mg/1.7 mL [70 mg/mL] injection), as an interchangeable biosimilar to...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gagelmann et al have developed a predictive model (Myeloma CAR-T Relapse [MyCARe] model) for outcomes after B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple...
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy ciltacabtagene autoleucel may offer benefit in patients with multiple myeloma who experienced disease progression or relapse following initial therapy, according to new findings presented by Hillengass et al at the 2024 Tandem Meetings:...
About 4 years ago, I [Jo Cavallo] wrote about the death of my brother Dom from multiple myeloma in 2011 and my subsequent enrollment in the PROMISE trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03689595). My goal for enrolling in the study was twofold: to honor Dom and others with the cancer and to make ...
Preventive use of the oral antibiotic vancomycin may be effective at reducing the risk of Clostridioides difficile infections but may increase the risk of gram-negative bacteremia in stem cell transplant recipients, according to new findings presented by Vartanov et al at the 2024 Tandem Meetings:...
On February 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental biologics license application for teclistamab-cqyv (Tecvayli) for a reduced dosing frequency of 1.5 mg/kg every 2 weeks in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have achieved and maintained a...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will award Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, Fellow of the AACR Academy, with the 2024 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research during the AACR Annual Meeting, to be held April 5–10 in San Diego. His award lecture will be presented on...
In a press briefing at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Cynthia E. Dunbar, MD, ASH Secretary and Chief of the Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, Intramural Research Program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, offered her thoughts on...
At the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, researchers from Emory University presented a real-world comparison of the largest cohort of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma consecutively treated with either bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone ...