This article was originally published by OncLive
In just the past 5 years, incredible progress has been made in multiple myeloma, evidenced by the emergence of novel CD38 antibodies, BCMA-directed treatments, and cereblon E3 ligase modulators (CELMoDs), according to Thomas G. Martin, MD.
“We have a lot of options that are coming up. It’s really quite [exciting] to be treating patients with multiple myeloma because now we can tell patients that we have options,” said Martin.
In an interview with OncLive® during an Institutional Perspectives in Cancer webinar on Multiple Myeloma, Martin, a clinical professor of medicine in the Adult Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, associate director of the Myeloma Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and co-leader of the Hematopoietic Malignancies Program at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed the importance of targeted therapy in multiple myeloma, in addition to ongoing research.
OncLive®: Could you discuss the importance of targeting CD38 in multiple myeloma?
Martin: These past 5 years have been amazing in terms of development of CD38 antibodies. First was daratumumab (Darzalex), which began its career in the relapsed/refractory setting, showing overall response rates of about 30%. Back then, this was unheard of for a monoclonal antibody. We’re still getting data right now [regarding its use] in early relapse patients. So, daratumumab has been combined with a variety of agents, initially showing an advantage when combined with the lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone and bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone. Now, more recently, in combination with carfilzomib (Kyprolis) and dexamethasone, as well as pomalidomide (Pomalyst) and dexamethasone. These combinations are extremely potent. When these combinations are given to patients with 1 to 3 prior lines of therapy, it can lead to a remission of more than 18 months and sometimes more than 30 months, which is pretty amazing.