ASCO 2017: BCMA-Specific CAR T-Cell Therapy Sends Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Into Lasting Remission in an Early Trial
In an early clinical trial, 33 out of 35 (94%) patients had clinical remission of multiple myeloma upon receiving immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting B-cell maturation protein, or BCMA. Most patients had only mild side effects. The study was presented by Fan et al...
Spanish Analysis of Prognostic Impact of MRD-Negative Status in Multiple Myeloma
A pooled analysis of three PETHEMA/GEM studies has shown that minimum residual disease (MRD)-negative status after induction therapy is more prognostic of favorable outcome than complete response alone in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The findings were reported by Lahuerta et al in the Journal...
Smoldering and Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Here are several abstracts selected from the proceedings of the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, highlighting newer therapeutics in smoldering and relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. For the full details of these study abstracts, visit...
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®): 2017 Guidelines
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®): 2017 Guidelines In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology®, covering 8 tumor types. Guidelines are now published for more than 60 tumor types and...
Lenalidomide as Maintenance Therapy in Multiple Myeloma After Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
On February 22, lenalidomide (Revlimid) was approved as maintenance therapy for patients with multiple myeloma following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.1,2 The drug was previously approved to treat multiple myeloma (in combination with dexamethasone), anemia caused by...
Expanding Role Seen for Minimal Residual Disease in Managing Multiple Myeloma
Minimal residual disease is a promising biomarker for guiding the management of multiple myeloma that is becoming increasingly important with the advent of more efficacious therapies, according to emerging data and expert opinion. “The story of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma is like...
Immune System Is Shaping the Future of Multiple Myeloma Treatment
From immunomodulatory agents and proteasome inhibitors to steroids, alkylators, and antibodies, recent years have witnessed an explosion of drug approvals for multiple myeloma. The challenge now, said Amrita Krishnan, MD, FACP, is figuring out how to incorporate them all, particularly in the...
Link Between Obesity and Transformation of MGUS to Myeloma
In a population-based cohort study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Su-Hsin Chang, PhD, of the Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues found that overweight and obesity were associated with an increased risk of transformation of monoclonal gammopathy of...
Monoclonal Antibody Therapy With Daratumumab in Multiple Myeloma: Expanding Therapeutic Horizons
The advent of successful monoclonal antibody therapy in the treatment of relapsed/refractory myeloma has dramatically improved the prognosis of patients for whom currently approved novel therapies have failed. In 2015, the approval of the combination of elotuzumab (Empliciti) with lenalidomide...
Adding Daratumumab to Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone Increases Progression-Free Survival in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and colleagues, the phase III POLLUX trial has shown that the addition of the CD38-targeted antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) to lenalidomide...
Expert Point of Review: Amrita Krishnan, MD
Amrita Krishnan, MD, Director of the Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at the City of Hope in Duarte, California, told The ASCO Post that the most exciting drug in the “New Agents” session she moderated at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting...
Two Studies Show Potential of Venetoclax as Single Agent and in Combination for Myeloma
Early-phase studies suggest that venetoclax (Venclexta) holds promise as a treatment for myeloma. At the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, investigators reported strong activity in heavily pretreated patients, especially those with the t(11;14)...
Lenalidomide, Bortezomib, and Dexamethasone With or Without HCT in Younger Patients With Multiple Myeloma
A French phase III trial (IFM 2009), reported by Attal et al in The New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that consolidation treatment with lenalidomide (Revlimid), bortezomib (Velcade), and dexamethasone (RVD) was associated with poorer progression-free survival vs high-dose chemotherapy and...
Implications of SWOG S0777 and the Future of Combination Treatments for Multiple Myeloma
The treatment of multiple myeloma is becoming increasingly complicated. This is not only because of the complexity of the disease, but also because of the increasing number of effective combination treatments and continuous development of new drugs. This has resulted in an ever-increasing number ...
Adding Bortezomib to Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone Improves Survival in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
In the phase III SWOG S0777 trial reported in The Lancet, Brian G.M. Durie, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Cancer Center, and colleagues found that adding bortezomib (Velcade) to lenalidomide (Revlimid)/dexamethasone improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with newly...
FDA Approves Lenalidomide as Maintenance Therapy for Patients With Multiple Myeloma Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
On February 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the existing indication for lenalidomide (Revlimid) 10-mg capsules to include use for patients with multiple myeloma as maintenance therapy following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Clinical Trial Findings The...
Expert Point of View: Edward A. Stadtmauer, MD
In a lecture at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Edward A. Stadtmauer, MD, Chief of the Hematologic Malignancies Section at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, summarized the advances in chimeric antigen receptor...
CAR T-Cell Therapy Emerging in Multiple Myeloma
For patients with multiple myeloma, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is gaining ground in pilot studies. At the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, researchers presented their latest findings for this innovative therapy, which has proven...
FDA Approves Lenalidomide as Maintenance Therapy for Patients With Multiple Myeloma Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
On February 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the existing indication for lenalidomide (Revlimid) 10 mg capsules to include use for patients with multiple myeloma as maintenance therapy following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The expanded indication makes...
Does Obesity Pose Risk for Transformation of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance to Myeloma?
In a population-based cohort study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Chang et al found that overweight and obesity were associated with an increased risk of transformation of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance to multiple myeloma. Black race was also...
I Plan to Live Long Enough to Be Cured of Multiple Myeloma
Like many other patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I didn’t know I had the cancer until I broke a bone. I had felt a twinge of pain on my left side when I hoisted a bucket of baseballs over my left shoulder after participating in a baseball tournament in the spring of 2011, but there was...
Antiretroviral Agent Makes Strong Showing in Refractory Multiple Myeloma
An antiretroviral drug that is used for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) demonstrated strong activity when combined with bortezomib (Velcade) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in a small multicenter phase II study presented at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH)...
Expert Point of View: Philip McCarthy, MD
The ASCO Post asked Philip McCarthy, MD, Professor of Oncology and Internal Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer, Buffalo, and Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Center there, to comment on these study findings. He first addressed the need to study earlier intervention for smoldering ...
High Response Rates to Triplet Therapy in Smoldering Myeloma
High-risk patients with smoldering multiple myeloma responded to a regimen of elotuzumab (Empliciti), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone, in a multicenter phase II study led by Irene Ghobrial, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.1 “The high response rates among this patient...
Does Adding Bortezomib to Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone Improve Outcomes in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Myeloma?
In the phase III SWOG S0777 trial reported in The Lancet, Durie et al found that adding bortezomib (Velcade) to lenalidomide (Revlimid)/dexamethasone improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma who were not planned for immediate autologous stem cell...
Expert Point of View: Sergio A. Giralt, MD
Sergio A. Giralt, MD, Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and the Melvin Berlin Family Chair in Multiple Myeloma, commented on the findings of the StaMINA trial for The ASCO Post. He said the results of the largest randomized U.S....
Single Autotransplant Not Enhanced by Additional Interventions in Multiple Myeloma
Additional interventions following upfront autologous stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma did not further improve progression-free or overall survival over transplant alone in a multicenter study presented as a late-breaking abstract at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual...
Daratumumab in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma
On November 21, 2016, daratumumab (Darzalex) was approved for use in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone or with bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.1,2 The drug was initially ...
Genetic Link May Explain Outcomes Differences in Multiple Myeloma in African Americans
African Americans are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and twice as likely to die from this form of cancer. Research presented at the 9th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health...
FDA Approves Daratumumab in Combination Therapy for Patients With Multiple Myeloma Receiving at Least One Prior Treatment
On November 21, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone or bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior...
ASH 2016: Additions to Standard Multiple Myeloma Therapy Do Not Appear to Yield Additional Benefit
Trial results presented by Stadtmauer during the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego (Abstract LBA-1) suggest two therapies that are often added to standard therapy in patients with multiple myeloma do not improve rates of progression-free survival ...
FDA Approves Daratumumab in Combination With Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone or Bortezomib/Dexamethasone in Multiple Myeloma
On November 21, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone, or bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior...
Weight Loss May Help Prevent Multiple Myeloma
New research shows that excess weight increases the risk that a benign blood disorder will progress to multiple myeloma. The study, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Being overweight or obese has been...
Lower Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Multiple Myeloma Reported With Treatment at Higher-Volume Facilities
In an analysis of data from the National Cancer Database reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Go et al found a lower risk of all-cause mortality among patients with multiple myeloma treated at higher-volume facilities. Study Details The study included patients diagnosed with multiple...
My Catch-22 Predicament
In the spring of 2011, I was feeling so fatigued I needed to rest after walking just a few steps to the kitchen and not doing anything more strenuous than making a cup of coffee. Fortunately, I have a wonderful primary care physician who takes me seriously when I have a complaint about my health,...
Does Adding Daratumumab to Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone Improve Outcomes in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma?
The addition of the CD38-targeted antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) to lenalidomide (Revlimid)/dexamethasone improved progression-free survival in patients with previously treated multiple myeloma, according to the results of the phase III POLLUX trial reported by Dimopoulos et al in The New England...
Katja Weisel, MD, on Multiple Myeloma: Results of the CASTOR Study (German Language Version)
Katja Weisel, MD, of the University of Tübingen, discusses in German study findings on daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone vs bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. (Abstract 906O)
Katja Weisel, MD, on Multiple Myeloma: Results of the CASTOR Study
Katja Weisel, MD, of the University of Tübingen, discusses study findings on daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone vs bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. (Abstract 906O)
Meta-analysis Shows Association of Minimal Residual Disease–Negative Status With Improved Survival in Multiple Myeloma
In a meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Munshi et al found that minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative status was associated with improved survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. For the analysis, a literature search identified 21 English language articles published...
Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone in High-Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
Long-term follow-up in the phase III QuiRedex trial indicates continued benefit of lenalidomide (Revlimid)/dexamethasone vs observation in preventing disease progression in patients with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma, as reported by Maria-Victoria Mateos, PhD, of Instituto de Biologia...
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to Donate Data to NCI’s Genomic Data Commons
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently announced a collaboration with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to incorporate the Foundation’s wealth of genomic and clinical data about the disease into the NCI Genomic Data Commons. NCI’s Genomic Data Commons is a publicly available database...
Daratumumab Plus Bortezomib/Dexamethasone: Changing the Treatment Paradigm in Relapsed or Refractory Myeloma
The CD38 antigen was first recognized on normal and abnormal plasma cells over 3 decades ago. Indeed, this antigen was originally classified as T10, as it was the tenth antigen described on T cells. Its distribution of expression included activated B and T cells, natural killer cells, leukocytes,...
Study Finds Adding Daratumumab to Bortezomib/Dexamethasone Improves Progression-Free Survival in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
In the phase III CASTOR trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Antonio Palumbo, MD, of the University of Turin, and colleagues found that adding the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) to bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone markedly improved progression-free survival among ...
Study Finds Statin Use Associated With Reduced Mortality in Multiple Myeloma
Analysis of data from the Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Sanfilippo et al, showed that statin use was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and multiple myeloma–specific mortality in patients with multiple myeloma....
Updated Outcomes, Impact of Age in Multiple Myeloma
Updated Outcomes, Impact of Age in Multiple Myeloma As reported by Hulin et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the updated findings in the phase III FIRST trial continue to show improved progression-free and overall survival with continuous lenalidomide (Revlimid) plus low-dose dexamethasone...
Improved Quality of Life Reported With Carfilzomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone in Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Stewart et al found that treatment with carfilzomib (Kyprolis), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (KRd) was associated with improved health-related quality of life vs lenalidomide/dexamethasone (Rd) in relapsed multiple myeloma in the phase...
Roundup of Selected Abstracts in Multiple Myeloma, Acute and Chronic Leukemia, and Advanced Lymphoma
In June 2016, the European Hematology Association Congress convened in Copenhagen, Denmark. The educational and scientific program highlighted state-of-the-art clinical practice and the latest findings in hematology research. The ASCO Post brings its readers brief summaries of some of the important ...
Adding Daratumumab to Bortezomib/Dexamethasone Improves Progression-Free Survival in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
In the phase III CASTOR trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Palumbo et al found that adding the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) to bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone markedly improved progression-free survival among patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory...
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Daratumumab in Combination With Standard of Care for Multiple Myeloma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to the immunotherapy daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone, or bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have ...
S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, and Sagar Lonial, MD, on Treating Multiple Myeloma
S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, and Sagar Lonial, MD, of the Emory University School of Medicine, discuss key issues in treating this disease, including monoclonal antibodies, plasmacytoma, and plasma cell leukemia.
