MULTIPLE MYELOMA

Denise. L. Pereira, MD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions she makes when treating patients with multiple myeloma. Pereira, assistant professor of clinical medicine, University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, Florida, explained her treatment decisions based on 2 case scenarios during a <em>Targeted Oncology</em> live case-based peer perspectives presentation.

Ajai Chari, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, advises on the best way to choose treatment regimens for patients with multiple myeloma. Since 9 different drugs have been approved after many phase III trials, a community physician may be overwhelmed by this surplus of options, Chari says.

Shaji Kumar, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic, discusses the effects genetic abnormalities have on patients with high-risk multiple myeloma. Recent advancements have helped to identify these abnormalities in patients.

Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma with renal impairment who were treated with pomalidomide and&nbsp;low-dose dexamethasone had an overall response rate of up to 39%,&nbsp;according to findings of a phase II study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology.</em> &nbsp;

Denosumab was recently recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency&rsquo;s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for the&nbsp;prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with multiple myeloma, according to Amgen, the developer of the RANK ligand inhibitor.

Saad Z. Usmani, MD, Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas HealthCare System, highlights some of the ongoing studies presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting.

C. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions he makes when treating patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

A meta-analysis and systemic review&nbsp;specifically assessing carfilzomib-associated cardiovascular adverse events&nbsp;suggests an elevated risk in patients with multiple myeloma who are taking the proteasome inhibitor.

Enrollment in a phase I/II clinical trial began recently for a study of PT-112 monotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according a news release from Phosplatin Therapeutics LLC, the company developing the small molecule conjugate.

Using next-generation squencing methods, researchers are attempting to combine clinical and genomic biomarkers to identify patients with smoldering multiple myeloma who are at high risk for disease progression.

According to recently published results of the&nbsp;international, double-blind randomized phase III 482 Study&nbsp;in&nbsp;<em>The Lancet Oncology,&nbsp;</em>^&nbsp;denosumab was noninferior to zoledronic acid (Zometa) in preventing skeletal-related event in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

In a phase Ib/II dose escalation study, rapid and tolerable responses were seen with the combination of selinexor, daratumumab, and low-dose dexamethasone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who were previously exposed to immunomodulatory and proteasome inhibitors.<br /> &nbsp;

Overall survival was extended for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma by nearly 8 months with the&nbsp;combination of carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone compared with&nbsp;lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone in results from the phase III ASPIRE trial.

Patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma&nbsp;who had prior exposure to lenalidomide (Revlimid) experienced a significant improvement in&nbsp;progression-free survival with pomalidomide (Pomalyst) added to the combination of bortezomib (Velcade) and low-dose dexamethasone,&nbsp;according to findings from the phase III OPTIMISMM trial.

Phyllis McKiernan, a nurse practitioner at John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack Medical Center, discusses a study of outcomes of autologous stem cell transplantation in very elderly patients with multiple myeloma.

Saad Z. Usmani, MD, Chief of the Plasma Cell Disorders Program, Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas HealthCare System, discusses the MMprofiler in multiple myeloma.

Based on findings from the&nbsp;ALCYONE study,&nbsp;which were published in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> and presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting,^&nbsp;the FDA has granted a priority review designation to&nbsp;daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with bortezomib (Velcade), melphalan, and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant.

The FDA has issued its approval for overall survival data from the&nbsp;phase III ENDEAVOR trial to be added&nbsp;to the&nbsp;carfilzomib (Kyprolis) label&nbsp;for use in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

C. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions he makes when treating patients with multiple myeloma. Landgren, chief of the Myeloma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in New York, explained his treatment decisions based on 2 case scenarios during a&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>&nbsp;live case-based peer perspectives dinner.

According to an updated analysis of the POLLUX trial, progression-free survival remained superior&nbsp;over time in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma treated with&nbsp;combination therapy that included the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab.

Andrew L. Pecora, MD, President of the Physician Services Division and Chief Innovation Officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, discusses preliminary safety and efficacy data for combined checkpoint inhibition with ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) as consolidation therapy following autologous stem cell transplant in patients with multiple myeloma and non-Hodkin lymphoma.

Multiple Myeloma

Based on data from the phase III 482 study, denosumab (Xgeva) has been granted FDA approval for&nbsp;the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with multiple myeloma, according to Amgen, the developer of the RANK ligand inhibitor.

Mark W. Bustoros, MD, a postdoctoral fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, discusses ongoing research exploring the use of liquid biopsies in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma.