The Multiple Myeloma Channel is supported with funding from AbbVie (Platinum), Sanofi (Gold), Legend Biotech (Bronze), and through an educational grant from Alexion Pharma GmbH.
VJHemOnc is an independent medical education platform. Supporters, including channel supporters, have no influence over the production of content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given to support the channel.
IMS 2026 | Clinical characteristics of a cohort of patients with myeloma surviving more than 15 years
Meral Beksac, MD, Istinye University Ankara Liv Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, discusses the clinical and biological characteristics of a dual-center cohort of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) surviving more than 15 years, highlighting that patients who received a triplet regimen, achieved a good complete remission rate, and had no high-risk features were more likely to have long-term continuous remission. Dr Beksac notes that nearly half of the unmaintained patients were measurable residual disease (MRD) negative, with an overall rate of 29% in the population. This interview took place at the 23rd International Myeloma Society (IMS) Annual Meeting in Glasgow, UK.
These works are owned by Magdalen Medical Publishing (MMP) and are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All rights are reserved.
Transcript
So the reason we initiated this study was we had started a database starting from about 20 years ago and this includes mainly transplant-eligible patients and among those patients we would notice that there are those who are living longer than 15 years. And we went retrospectively to our database and we found 111 patients who have survived long-term. And this gave us an opportunity to analyze for a possibility of cure because the definition of cure is now under negotiation, and there are different approaches how to define cure...
So the reason we initiated this study was we had started a database starting from about 20 years ago and this includes mainly transplant-eligible patients and among those patients we would notice that there are those who are living longer than 15 years. And we went retrospectively to our database and we found 111 patients who have survived long-term. And this gave us an opportunity to analyze for a possibility of cure because the definition of cure is now under negotiation, and there are different approaches how to define cure. And how we want to separate patients was less than 5, between 5 to 10, 10 to 15, and more than 15 years of survival. And at the end, out of 111 patients who were fitting this eligibility criteria, those who received a triplet regimen but achieved a good complete remission rate after induction pre-transplant with low ISS, they seem to have a long-term continuous remission. And by the way, I have to emphasize the fact that maintenance therapy in Turkey was not allowed until 2023. So all these patients were unmaintained due to regulatory causes. So those who are receiving a triplet-based regimen but achieving a good response, low ISS and no high-risk features, those can survive long term. And at the end, there were 29 patients who were unmaintained still. And half of these patients are MRD negative. This rate becomes 29% within our population. But we have to mention that we are a referral center. And these are patients who did not receive daratumumab or isatuximab frontline. They just received stem cell transplant and were unmaintained. And this brings us back to the discussion this morning where Nikhil Munshi gave a great talk about the evolution of cure possibility ranging from 5% going up to 10% with the VRd-based regimens and then now going up to 30% with the newer quad-type of regimens. So I think our data gives us some evidence, but in a low-medium income country, and I hope that this will be helpful for future for other experts.
This transcript is AI-generated. While we strive for accuracy, please verify this copy with the video.
Read more...
