Title: Advances in Multiple Myeloma Research Transforming the Prognosis for Patients
Subtitle: Audrey Greene’s Story Highlights the Progress in Treating Multiple Myeloma
Long Neck, Del. – Audrey Greene, a retired sales agent from Long Neck, Del., recently celebrated her 80th birthday, defying the dire prognosis she once faced after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010 at the age of 68. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that attacks the white blood cells and was historically considered a death sentence. However, recent advances in treatment options have transformed it into a chronic manageable disease for many patients, offering hope for a longer and healthier life.
Greene’s diagnosis came at a pivotal time when new drugs and treatments, including those harnessing the body’s immune system, were emerging. These innovative approaches, part of the growing field of precision medicine, utilize information from a patient’s tumors and genetics to design novel therapies not only for multiple myeloma but also for other types of cancer.
According to Kathy Giusti, founder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and a myeloma survivor herself, the outlook for multiple myeloma has drastically improved. Giusti, diagnosed in 1996, credits early drug advances and a stem cell transplant for her extended survival. She emphasizes that multiple myeloma is now one of the most treatable cancers, with patients living longer lives filled with hope.
Elizabeth M. Hill, an assistant research physician at the National Cancer Institute, explains that the advances in multiple myeloma treatment began in the early 2000s when treatments specific to the biology of the disease were introduced. Since then, the field has exploded, and current statistics suggest that most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma can live eight to 10 years or even longer. With continued advancements, the goal is to control multiple myeloma to the point where patients can live a normal lifespan.
Experts in the field, such as Ivan Borrello from the Cancer Institute at Tampa General Hospital, have witnessed patients living for over two decades with multiple myeloma. The introduction of new drugs, including proteasome inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies like daratumumab, has significantly contributed to the transformation of multiple myeloma into a more chronic malignancy.
Robert Orlowski, a professor of medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, assures patients that the prognosis will continue to improve as less effective therapies are replaced with more effective ones. Initial therapy for newly diagnosed patients often involves a three-drug regimen, and recent evidence suggests that adding a fourth drug, anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies, can deepen and lengthen initial responses.
Stem cell transplants remain the gold standard of care, especially for younger patients. While the procedure is arduous and carries some risks, it has shown promising results. New techniques now allow stem cells to be harvested from blood, eliminating the need for bone marrow extraction.
For patients who experience relapse, newer options such as CAR T-cell therapy and bi-specific antibodies offer hope. CAR T-cell therapy involves genetically altering a patient’s T cells to target and kill cancer cells, while bi-specific antibodies bind to both cancer cells and T cells, triggering the destruction of cancer cells. These therapies have shown remarkable efficacy in patients who have relapsed multiple times.
Saad Usmani, chief of the myeloma service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is conducting clinical trials to test these therapies in newly diagnosed patients. If successful, these trials could potentially lead to a cure for a subset of myeloma patients within the next five to ten years.
While the prognosis for multiple myeloma has significantly improved, there is ongoing research to better understand the biology of the disease and develop new drugs to further enhance patient outcomes. The goal is to bring high-risk patients down to standard risk and extend remission periods to prolong patients’ lives.
Audrey Greene’s story exemplifies the progress made in multiple myeloma research and treatment. With continued advancements, the hope is that more patients like her will defy expectations and celebrate milestones like their 80th birthdays, living longer and healthier lives despite a multiple myeloma diagnosis.Title: Advances in Treatment Transform Multiple Myeloma into a Manageable Disease
Subtitle: Audrey Greene’s Story of Hope and Progress in Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Long Neck, Del. – Audrey Greene, a retired sales agent, celebrated her 80th birthday in March, defying the dire prognosis she received when diagnosed with multiple myeloma at the age of 68 in 2010. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that attacks the white blood cells and was once considered a death sentence. However, thanks to significant advancements in treatment, Audrey’s story is a testament to the transformative power of precision medicine and the body’s immune system in managing this once-deadly disease.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are white blood cells that produce antibodies against infection. In this type of cancer, the plasma cells grow excessively, crowding out normal cells in the bone marrow and causing pain in the affected bones. Until recently, the outlook for multiple myeloma patients was poor, as the cancer did not respond well to typical chemotherapy.
However, in the early 2000s, the field of myeloma treatment saw a breakthrough with the development of therapies specific to the biology of the disease. These advancements, including new drugs and treatments that harness the body’s immune system, have revolutionized the management of multiple myeloma. Today, at the time of diagnosis, most patients can expect to live eight to 10 years or longer, with the potential to control the disease and live a normal life span.
Audrey’s journey is just one example of the remarkable progress made in multiple myeloma treatment. Alongside new therapies, there are now more than a dozen drugs available to myeloma patients, both approved and in clinical trials. These drugs, such as proteasome inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, target cancer cells directly and have significantly improved patient outcomes.
Furthermore, innovative approaches like CAR T-cell therapy and bi-specific antibodies have emerged as game-changers for patients who have relapsed multiple times. These therapies involve genetically altering a patient’s immune cells to target and
