Multiple Myeloma

With the recent FDA approval of the first oral proteasome inhibitor ixazomib (Ninlaro), patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received previous treatment now have access to an all-oral regimen. The FDA-indicated triplet regimen of ixazomib, lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (Decadron) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with the doublet of lenalidomide and dexamethasone, reported Philippe Moreau, MD, University of Nantes, France, at ASH 2015.

The year 2015 saw an explosion of new drugs approved by the FDA and new indications for drugs already on the market for multiple myeloma. Overall, 4 new drugs from 2 new classes were approved in 2015, changing the standard of care for patients with this disease.

Monoclonal antibodies targeting PD-1 may be effective in multiple myeloma, according to early data from 2 clinical trials on pembrolizumab (Keytruda) presented at ASH 2015.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has been striking in various hematologic malignancies, and for the first time this treatment approach is being evaluated in multiple myeloma.

Although the cost of treating newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma is greatly increased with the use of 3 drugs, 2-drug regimens should no longer be considered adequate, according to new data presented at ASH 2015.

At the Fifth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in Washington, DC, Grant Lawless, RPh, MD, FACP, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, moderated a multidisciplinary panel on value-based care for patients with multiple myeloma.

An Interview with Dixie-Lee Esseltine, MD, and George Mulligan, PhD, of Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company

At the Fifth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-­Based Cancer Care in Washington, DC, Grant Lawless, RPh, MD, FACP, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, moderated a multidisciplinary panel on value-based care for patients with multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma, also referred to as myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow that often leads to bone destruction and bone marrow failure. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 26,800 new cases of multiple myeloma will be diagnosed in 2015, and 11,240 deaths will be attributed to this disease.

All patients with smoldering or asymptomatic multiple myeloma should undergo whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or pelvic and spinal MRI if whole body is unavailable, according to recommendations from the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG). The presence of >1 focal lesions >5 mm should be considered diagnostic for symptomatic myeloma requiring therapy.