ASH 2021 | Changes in the myeloma treatment paradigm
The treatment landscape for the management of multiple myeloma has evolved substantially in the past decade, with an array of novel immunotherapies now available that can potentially surpass the need for autologous stem cell transplantation. Gareth Morgan, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPath, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, shares his thoughts on how the myeloma treatment paradigm is likely to change in the coming years with the advent of monoclonal antibodies such as daratumumab and rituximab, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, and bispecific antibodies that can target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and GPRC5D. This interview took place at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition congress in Atlanta, GA.
Transcript (edited for clarity)
So, it’s really exciting to be here, to have the updates of all of the new clinical trials evaluating both the standard agents and the new agents. And I’m kind of collapsing daratumumab, isatuximab, the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies into standard treatment. So I think that this year is going to be one where we see four drug regimens with daratumumab in the upfront setting and then using them during maintenance...
So, it’s really exciting to be here, to have the updates of all of the new clinical trials evaluating both the standard agents and the new agents. And I’m kind of collapsing daratumumab, isatuximab, the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies into standard treatment. So I think that this year is going to be one where we see four drug regimens with daratumumab in the upfront setting and then using them during maintenance.
So I’m very excited about that because I think that’s really close to patient use and changing the outcomes in a very favorable way in the kind of not too distant future though. I think the CAR-T therapies, but particularly the bispecific therapies, which target both BCMA and novel targets, like GPRC5D. I think those agents the response rates that are being presented here suggest those are much more powerful, even than daratumumab, say. So when those get to the upfront setting, I’m expecting that kind of paradigm change in how we treat myeloma with maybe autologous stem cell transplantation no longer being a standard approach. You might get deeper responses with something that’s gentle in the outpatient setting. And so I think that’s really going to turn around the future of myeloma in a very positive way.
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