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As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Mateos et al, the final results of the phase III ALCYONE trial showed persistent benefit with the addition of daratumumab to bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (D-VMP) in transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The primary...
Investigators have identified a key component inhibiting responses to lenalidomide in patients with multiple myeloma, according to the results of a study recently published in Blood. They identified adenosine deaminase acting on RNA1 (ADAR1) as a novel driver of acquired resistance to lenalidomide...
In a pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shi et al found that a clinical trial endpoint of complete response with minimal residual disease (also known as measurable residual disease) at the 10-5 threshold (MRD-CR) at 9 or 12 months could be used to support accelerated...
In a retrospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hansen et al found that standard-of-care ciltacabtagene autoleucel was associated with better efficacy outcomes and increased risk of some toxicities vs standard-of-care idecabtagene vicleucel in patients with relapsed or...
In a retrospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kaiser et al found that the presence of two or more high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities was associated with poorer outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) and relapsed or refractory MM. Study Details The...
Offering genetic testing to patients with multiple myeloma may help physicians to determine which patients have the most aggressive types of the disease and how to target their malignancy more effectively, according to a recent study published by Kaiser et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology....
A record-breaking number of abstracts were submitted for the 2024 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, and nearly 8,000 were accepted. The ASCO Post strives to provide in-depth coverage of those with the greatest impact. Here, we offer snapshots of others of...
Patients with smoldering multiple myeloma derived a significant progression-free survival benefit, along with other positive outcomes, from 3 years of subcutaneous use of the monoclonal antibody daratumumab as compared with active monitoring in the phase III AQUILA study.1 These findings were...
In a phase Ib-II study (RedirecTT-1) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Cohen et al found that the combination of the bispecific antibodies talquetamab (anti–G protein-coupled receptor family C group 5 member D) and teclistamab (anti–B-cell maturation antigen) was associated with a...
Recent data suggest that a plant-based diet rich in fiber may help to improve the outlook for people with precursor conditions that can lead to multiple myeloma. The research, which involved a 12-week controlled diet with additional health coaching for 20 patients as well as experiments in mice, is ...
An analysis of the results from the ongoing randomized phase III AQUILA study found that daratumumab monotherapy was well tolerated and demonstrated a clinically meaningful and significant benefit in preventing or delaying progression to active multiple myeloma compared with active monitoring in...
Intense pain on the right side of my lower rib cage, in 2020, sent me first to my chiropractor for relief and then to my primary care provider for tests. Because of the location of the pain, the chiropractor thought I might be having a gallbladder attack, but the results from a urine test showed a ...
The soaring number of cancer survivors since the National Cancer Act of 1971 was enacted into law provides a snapshot of the profound progress made against cancer over the past half-century: 3 million survivors in the 1970s,1 compared to more than 18 million today, and that number is expected to...
The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) welcomes four of its newest members to the IMF Board of Directors: Director of Strategic Growth at Raanes & Oliver Capital Advisors, Kent Oliver; Managing Partner of Global Commercialization Strategy and Solutions at ZS Associates, Maria Whitman;...
In the phase III IMROZ trial, the addition of the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody isatuximab-irfc to bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) was more effective than VRd alone as initial therapy in patients ≤ 80 years with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma ineligible for transplant,...
In the phase III CEPHEUS trial,1 the achievement of undetectable measurable residual disease (or MRD negativity)—the primary endpoint—was met by 61% of patients with transplant-ineligible or deferred newly diagnosed multiple myeloma treated with the monoclonal antibody daratumumab plus bortezomib, ...
In a letter to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine, Salmasi et al described identification of monoclonal gammopathy of thrombotic significance (MGTS) in a patient with coronary artery disease and its successful treatment with daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (DVd). As...
The use of measurable (or minimal) residual disease (MRD) status to guide treatment in multiple myeloma has become a topic of intense interest. Phase III studies presented at the Plenary Session of the 2024 International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting moved MRD status ever closer to validation in...
On September 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the monoclonal antibody isatuximab-irfc (Sarclisa) in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT)....
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new presentation of bortezomib (Boruzu) for ready-to-use subcutaneous or intravenous administration. This new ready-to-use oncology product reduces the compounding preparation steps typically required with administration. Bortezomib, a...
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 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...
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...
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 accurately in patients with either newly diagnosed or relapsed multiple myeloma, thus translating into potentially better outcomes (Abstract 7512).
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 functional high-risk multiple myeloma; and DREAMM-7 on belantamab mafodotin-blmf plus bortezomib and dexamethasone vs daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory disease.
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 transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (Abstract 7502).
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 diagnosed multiple myeloma who are transplant-ineligible, may reduce the risk of disease progression or death by 40.4% vs VRd alone (Abstract 7500).
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 the standard of care (Abstract 7504).
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 survival and showed a favorable overall survival trend compared with pomalidomide plus bortezomib and dexamethasone.
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 disease negativity vs isatuximab with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in patients with newly diagnosed transplant-ineligible multiple myeloma (Abstract 7501).
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...
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...
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 over the disease course.
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...