IMW 2021 | Treatment-free intervals: what is best for patients?
Phil McCarthy, MD, of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, talks on the advantages an limitations of giving patients with myeloma treatment-free intervals. Dr McCarthy reports that treatment-free intervals should not be given until it can be accurately identified which patients can stop therapy without negative impacts. It has been shown that patients who receive a fixed duration of maintenance therapy have earlier progressions after stem cell transplantation, and that in transplant ineligible populations the continuation of therapy is associated with superior progression-free survival. Highlighting data from clinical trials, Dr McCarthy explains that this progression-free survival can translate into overall survival, suggesting that the preferred method of drug administration should be that of fixed duration with no treatment-free intervals. This interview took place during the 18th International Myeloma Workshop (IMW 2021) congress.
Disclosures
Phil McCarthy, MD, has participated in consultancy work for BlueBird Biotech, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Fate Therapeutics, Janssen, Juno, Karyopharm, Magenta Therapeutics, Oncopeptides, Sanofi and Takeda; has received honoraria from BlueBird Biotech, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Fate Therapeutics, Janssen, Juno, Karyopharm, Magenta Therapeutics, Medscape, Oncopeptides and Takeda; and has received institutional research grant support from Celgene.
