Project description:High-dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) has been considered to be the standard frontline treatment for younger, fit patients with multiple myeloma (MM) since the 1990s. Efforts continue to optimize the use of HDT-ASCT with the aim of improving outcomes. One strategy has been the incorporation of novel agents (thalidomide, lenalidomide and bortezomib) in the pre-transplantation setting as an induction therapy or in the post-transplantation setting as a consolidation or maintenance therapy. Given their high response rates, three-drug induction therapy regimens (for example, bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone, lenalidomide-bortezomib-dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide-bortezomib-dexamethasone) are now the standard of care. Thalidomide and bortezomib are well suited for consolidation therapy, and regimens using these agents can improve the depth of response following HDT-ASCT. Lenalidomide is particularly well suited for long-term maintenance therapy following HDT-ASCT, and initial results are promising and have shown improvements in disease outcomes such as progression-free survival and overall survival in some cases, although a low incidence of second primary malignancies have been observed. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal regimen and duration of induction therapy, the impact of maintenance on overall survival and the safety of long-term treatment. Many of the studies currently underway in MM will help address these aspects.
Project description:The recent introduction of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), with several cellular targets, such as CD-38 (daratumumab and isatuximab) and SLAM F7 (elotuzumab), differently combined with other classes of agents, has significantly extended the outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in different phases of the disease. Initially used in advanced/refractory patients, different MoAbs combination have been introduced in the treatment of newly diagnosed transplant eligible patients (NDTEMM), showing a significant improvement in the depth of the response and in survival outcomes, without a significant price in terms of toxicity. In smoldering MM, MoAbs have been applied, either alone or in combination with other drugs, with the goal of delaying the progression to active MM and restoring the immune system. In this review, we will focus on the main results achieved so far and on the main on-going trials using MoAbs in SMM and NDTEMM.
Project description:Lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (RVd) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is standard frontline therapy for transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). The addition of daratumumab (D) to RVd (D-RVd) in transplant-eligible NDMM patients was evaluated. Patients (N = 207) were randomized 1:1 to D-RVd or RVd induction (4 cycles), ASCT, D-RVd or RVd consolidation (2 cycles), and lenalidomide or lenalidomide plus D maintenance (26 cycles). The primary end point, stringent complete response (sCR) rate by the end of post-ASCT consolidation, favored D-RVd vs RVd (42.4% vs 32.0%; odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-2.82; 1-sided P = .068) and met the prespecified 1-sided α of 0.10. With longer follow-up (median, 22.1 months), responses deepened; sCR rates improved for D-RVd vs RVd (62.6% vs 45.4%; P = .0177), as did minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity (10-5 threshold) rates in the intent-to-treat population (51.0% vs 20.4%; P < .0001). Four patients (3.8%) in the D-RVd group and 7 patients (6.8%) in the RVd group progressed; respective 24-month progression-free survival rates were 95.8% and 89.8%. Grade 3/4 hematologic adverse events were more common with D-RVd. More infections occurred with D-RVd, but grade 3/4 infection rates were similar. Median CD34+ cell yield was 8.2 × 106/kg for D-RVd and 9.4 × 106/kg for RVd, although plerixafor use was more common with D-RVd. Median times to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were comparable. Daratumumab with RVd induction and consolidation improved depth of response in patients with transplant-eligible NDMM, with no new safety concerns. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02874742.
Project description:PurposeTo evaluate the effects of daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (D-Rd) versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in the phase III MAIA study.Patients and methodsPROs were assessed on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item and the EuroQol 5-dimensional descriptive system at baseline and every 3 months during treatment. By mixed-effects model, changes from baseline are presented as least squares means with 95% CIs.ResultsA total of 737 transplant-ineligible (TIE) patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were randomly assigned to D-Rd (n = 368) or Rd (n = 369). Compliance with PRO assessments was high at baseline (> 90%) through month 12 (> 78%) for both groups. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item global health status scores improved from baseline in both groups and were consistently greater with D-Rd at all time points. A global health status benefit was achieved with D-Rd, regardless of age (< 75 and ≥ 75 years), baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score, or depth of response. D-Rd treatment resulted in significantly greater reduction in pain scores as early as cycle 3 (P = .0007 v Rd); the magnitude of change was sustained through cycle 12. Reductions in pain with D-Rd were clinically meaningful in patients regardless of age, ECOG status, or depth of response. Similarly, PRO improvements were observed with D-Rd and Rd on the EuroQol 5-dimensional descriptive system visual analog scale score.ConclusionD-Rd compared with Rd was associated with faster and sustained clinically meaningful improvements in PROs, including pain, in transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma regardless of age, baseline ECOG status, or depth of treatment response.
Project description:PurposeWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) has shown recurrent structural variant (SV) involvement in distinct regions of the genome (i.e., hotspots) and causing recurrent copy-number alterations. Together with canonical immunoglobulin translocations, these SVs are recognized as "recurrent SVs." More than half of SVs were not involved in recurrent events. The significance of these "rare SVs" has not been previously examined.Experimental designIn this study, we utilize 752 WGS and 591 RNA sequencing data from patients with NDMM to determine the role of rare SVs in myeloma pathogenesis.ResultsNinety-four percent of patients harbored at least one rare SV event. Rare SVs showed an SV class-specific enrichment within genes and superenhancers associated with outlier gene expression. Furthermore, known myeloma driver genes recurrently impacted by point mutations were dysregulated by rare SVs.ConclusionsOverall, we demonstrate the association of rare SVs with aberrant gene expression supporting a potential driver role in myeloma pathogenesis.
Project description:Purposemultiple myeloma is considered an incurable hematologic cancer but a subset of patients can achieve long-term remissions and survival. The present study examines the clinical features of long-term survival as it correlates to depth of disease response.Patients & methodsthis was a multi-institutional, international, retrospective analysis of high-dose melphalan-autologous stem cell transplant (HDM-ASCT) eligible MM patients included in clinical trials. Clinical variable and survival data were collected from 7291 MM patients from Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, the Nordic Myeloma Study Group and the United States. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Relative survival (RS) and statistical cure fractions (CF) were computed for all patients with available data.Resultsachieving CR at 1 year was associated with superior PFS (median PFS 3.3 years vs. 2.6 years, p < 0.0001) as well as OS (median OS 8.5 years vs. 6.3 years, p < 0.0001). Clinical variables at diagnosis associated with 5-year survival and 10-year survival were compared with those associated with 2-year death. In multivariate analysis, age over 65 years (OR 1.87, p = 0.002), IgA Isotype (OR 1.53, p = 0.004), low albumin < 3.5 g/dL (OR = 1.36, p = 0.023), elevated beta 2 microglobulin ≥ 3.5 mg/dL (OR 1.86, p < 0.001), serum creatinine levels ≥ 2 mg/dL (OR 1.77, p = 0.005), hemoglobin levels < 10 g/dL (OR 1.55, p = 0.003), and platelet count < 150k/μL (OR 2.26, p < 0.001) appeared to be negatively associated with 10-year survival. The relative survival for the cohort was ~0.9, and the statistical cure fraction was 14.3%.Conclusionsthese data identify CR as an important predictor of long-term survival for HDM-ASCT eligible MM patients. They also identify clinical variables reflective of higher disease burden as poor prognostic markers for long-term survival.
Project description:Despite the development of novel therapeutic agents, multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable, owing mainly to inevitable relapse in almost all patients. Some relapses occur as extramedullary disease (EMD), which is rare but is the most aggressive event in MM patients. Extramedullary myeloma (EMM) has extraordinary heterogeneous biological and clinical features. Previous studies have shown that expression levels of LncRNAs and mRNAs in different stages of MM are different. This study analyzes the expression levels of LncRNAs and mRNAs in primary plasma cells (PCs) from MM and EMM patients.
Project description:The treatment of multiple myeloma has evolved markedly in the last decade, but mortality remains high, emphasizing the need for more effective therapies. Daratumumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, has shown clinical efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma both as monotherapy and in combination with other drugs, including novel agents. More recently, promising results have been reported in patients with untreated newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Clinical trials thus far have shown enhanced efficacy and tolerability of several daratumumab-based combinations in both transplant ineligible and eligible patients, without compromising transplant ability. However, benefit in high-risk subpopulations is still unclear. A subcutaneous formulation of daratumumab has been introduced to decrease the risk of infusion reactions, with preliminary results showing non-inferior efficacy. The antimyeloma activity of daratumumab is achieved through multiple mechanisms including direct, Fc-dependent, and immunomodulatory mechanisms. Enhanced efficacy of daratumumab in combination with immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors is supported by preclinical data showing synergism. This review will focus on the role of daratumumab in untreated NDMM patients, highlighting the results of major clinical trials, and listing ongoing trials that are evaluating various daratumumab-based combinations in this setting.
Project description:High-risk Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients were found to maintain telomere length (TL), below the margin of short critical length, consistent with proactive overexpression of telomerase. Previously, DNA methylation has been shown as a determinant of telomere-related gene (TRG) expression and TL to assess risk in different types of cancer. We mapped genome-wide DNA methylation in a cohort of newly diagnosed MM (NDMM; n = 53) patients of major molecular subgroups, compared to age-matched healthy donors (n = 4). Differential methylation and expression at TRG-loci were analyzed in combination with overlapping chromatin marks and underlying DNA-sequences. We observed a strong correlation (R2 ≥ 0.5) between DNA methylation and expression amongst selective TRGs, such that demethylation at the promoters of DDX1 and TERF1 were associated to their oncogenic upregulation, while demethylation at the bodies of two key tumor suppressors ZNF208 and RAP1A led to downregulation of the genes. We demonstrated that TRG expression may be controlled by DNA methylation alone or in cooperation with chromatin modifications or CCCTC-binding factor at the regulatory regions. Additionally, we showed that hypomethylated DMRs of TRGs in NDMM are stabilized with G-quadruplex forming sequences, suggesting a crucial role of these epigenetically vulnerable loci in MM pathogenesis. We have identified a panel of five TRGs, which are epigenetically deregulated in NDMM patients and may serve as early detection biomarkers or therapeutic targets in the disease.
Project description:A portion of multiple myeloma (MM) patients relapse early or do not respond to first line treatment. Identification of possible clinical and or biological features of these patients remains an unmet medical need. In this study we assesed the predictive markers for early relapse MM, defined as a progressive disease that occurred within 18 months, from autologoust stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in MM patients who did not have primary refractory disease. 74 consecutive MM patients were included in the study that received intensive therapy with ASCT. The study was able to identify the main features of newly diagnosed ER MM patients eligible for ASCT identifying the IgA isotype and the R2-ISS score system as the main predictive prognostic factors for ER in this cohort of MM patients.