Changing Treatment Paradigms for Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer that affects plasma cells¹. Abnormal plasma cells often accumulate in bone marrow overcrowding healthy cells and cause low blood counts, bone and calcium issues, infections, and kidney damage or failure. Although rare (accounting for 1% of cancer overall), it is the third most prevalent blood cancer after non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia².

Currently, there is no cure for multiple myeloma, however there are treatments that can help people live longer, healthier lives. Stem cell transplant is a standard of care for eligible patients. However, over half of those newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma are not eligible for transplant due to other major health problems, such as heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease³. Studies have shown, people 65 and above and those who are ineligible for transplant have a lower survival rate⁴.

ACCC has developed an educational initiative Changing Treatment Paradigms for Patients with Multiple Myeloma. The goal of this work is to raise awareness among cancer programs about treatment options for newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma who are ineligible for transplant. The project will include a variety of methodologies for disseminating education and information to cancer programs including a series of podcasts, blog posts, and a collaborative webinar.

It is really important that we get information about subcutaneous daratumumab out to practices that are treating patients with myeloma. Anyone who is administering daratumumab intravenously for all of their patients is missing out on an opportunity to make treatment more convenient for the patient and the practice, and for the patients to have fewer side effects.

— Dan Vogl, MD, MSCE, Penn Medicine

For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.

Cancer Buzz Podcasts

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

References

1. American Cancer Society. Updated February 28, 2018. Accessed June 21, 2022. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/what-is-multiple-myeloma.html

2. Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Updated 2022. Accessed June 21, 2022. https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma#:~:text=Although%20it%20only%20accounts%20for,men%20and%2015%2C370%20in%20women.

3. Atrash S, Bhutani M, Paul B, Voorhees PM, Usmani SZ. Management of newly diagnosed transplant ineligible multiple myeloma. Leuk Lymphoma. 2020 Nov;61(11):2549-2560. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2020.1786558. Epub 2020 Jul 4. PMID: 32623918.

4. Knop, S., Mateos, MV., Dimopoulos, M.A. et al. Health-related quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma ineligible for stem cell transplantation: results from the randomized phase III ALCYONE trial. BMC Cancer 21, 659 (2021).