Abstracts related to multiple myeloma once again dominated ASH and a record number of attendees were there to absorb all the information. Of the 7,000 abstracts submitted, over 1,000 pertained to myeloma. 136 were presented orally, and 850 were presented as posters. Of the oral abstracts, a headline late-breaking abstract and one presented in the prestigious plenary session grabbed lots of attention. Regarding attendance, it was clear that everyone was ready to attend in person again in the somewhat post-COVID era. Countries from all over the globe were represented by the 28,000 who attended in person, and another 4,000 attended virtually.
My top 3 categories from this year’s ASH included real-world retrospective studies related to CAR T-cell therapy which I wrote about in my previous blog, changes to standard of care for newly diagnosed patients, and new testing methods that could greatly reduce the number of bone marrow biopsies needed.
The late-breaking abstract of the Perseus trial is predicted to change the standard of care for newly diagnosed patients. Adding Darzalex® (daratumumab) to the tried-and-true combination of Revlimid® (lenalidomide), Velcade® (bortezomib), and dexamethasone at induction therapy followed by transplant, consolidation, and maintenance substantially deepened and lengthened responses in newly diagnosed patients. Some centers in the United States may already be using this combination, but it will now become widespread in the U.S. Tom Martin of the University of California at San Francisco mentioned in the “Making Sense of Myeloma” webinar that this could provide 7-8 years of remission for many newly diagnosed patients. This four-drug combination, although costly, does not add noticeable additional side effects. Another study showed that adding Sarclisa® (isatuximab) to Kyprolis® (carfilzomib), Revlimid®, and dex also increased the number of minimal residual disease (MRD) negative patients and this regimen is geared toward higher risk patients
The third highlight for me was the many presentations on testing, many using blood samples versus bone marrow biopsy samples to measure depth of response. The Blood Flow test and mass spectrometry are complementary tests that can access MRD status. If both blood tests show similar MRD results, then there may be no value in data from a bone marrow biopsy. As a patient who has undergone 9 or 10 bone marrow biopsies, this was music to my ears. All these tests offer much more accurate data on the state of disease than the standard SPEP and free light chain tests, which are done routinely today. These are still under study and development, so it will be some time before you see them used routinely in the clinical setting but keep them on your radar.
This ASH was tremendous and all the focus on myeloma brings hope to all patients regardless of where you are in your myeloma journey. Take to heart that there are many amazingly smart researchers working on behalf of all patients. They will not stop until a cure is found! In closing, none of this would have been possible for me if it weren’t for the International Myeloma Foundation and this year’s sponsors – BMS, Janssen, Karyopharm, Regeneron, and Takeda. Many thanks to all.
— Linda Huguelet, Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group
@LindaMYELOMA on X (Twitter)