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Weighing the Risks of Multiple Myeloma Therapy in the Time of COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country, cancer specialists had to weigh the risks of treating multiple myeloma to prevent morbidity and mortality, with the dangers of virus exposure in their patients. SurvivorNet's experts say treatment decisions often hinge on geographic location.
Learn MoreBelamaf is ‘First-In-Class’ New Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma, But What’s Its Role in the Toolkit?
In August, the FDA granted belantamab mafodotin (Belamaf) accelerated approval for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who've received at least four prior therapies, including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, a proteasome inhibitor, and an immunomodulatory agent.
Learn MoreWhat We’re Learning About Isatuximab and How It’s Being Used to Treat Multiple Myeloma Patients
The recent FDA approval of isatuximab in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone has opened up another avenue of treatment for multiple myeloma patients who have already undergone two prior lines of therapy.
Learn MoreHow Would You Treat a 60-Year-Old Woman with Relapsed Refractory Myeloma?
A 60-year-old woman was previously treated with a standard VRD combination followed by a stem cell transplant on lenalidomide maintenance therapy, which was stopped due to diarrhea. Three years later she had an increase in her "M protein" and her myeloma has returned. How would you approach her treatment?
Learn MoreHow Top Institutions Are Working to Reduce Racial Disparities
Black Americans have a two- to three-fold incidence of multiple myeloma compared to whites, yet they are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. Issues with access, eligibility, and a lack of information from providers prevent many Black patients from participating.
Learn MoreDexamethasone Use in Multiple Myeloma and COVID-19 Isn’t the Same
Corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone and dexamethasone have emerged as a valuable intervention to improve outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Randomized trials have indicated that these drugs reduce mortality in seriously ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation and supplemental oxygen.
Learn MoreNew CAR T-Cell Therapy “Very Exciting” Because it Gives Patients One Year Without Progression
In September, the FDA accepted idecabtagene vicleucel (bb2121) for priority review. This investigational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy is designed to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three previous therapies, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 antibody.
Learn MoreShould PARP Inhibitors Be Offered to All Women?
When it comes to PARP inhibitors, Dr. Rebecca Arend of the University of Alabama says, “The message is not that each patient should get a PARP inhibitor no matter what, but that it is an awareness that we need to put out into the community.”
Learn MorePractical Steps for Physician Burnout
Therapy for physicians is important. Providers can be consumers of therapy, and there should be no shame in seeking help. Dr. Elizabeth Jewell says to identify risk factors. “Middle-aged women, and associate professors tend to be high risk [for mental health issues]. A lot of it has to do with busier clinical practices, job expectations, and responsibilities at home. As a society, we need to figure that out.”
Learn MoreHas COVID-19 Changed Treatment?
Many oncologists are wondering: How has COVID-19 changed treatment? Dr. Elizabeth Jewell of Memorial Sloan Kettering says, “You can safely get COVID-positive patients and cancer patients through treatment and through surgery.” Many are following ACS guidelines around how to stratify cases.
Learn MoreNext Level HRD Testing and How to Make Better Decisions
Dr. Thomas Herzog notes the importance of an HRD test, “Getting an HRD for me would be important. I think the next gen sequencing doesn’t lead to new treatments all that often. My counter-argument to that is that we’re learning more and more. We really want to move the field forward and we need to get that information."
Learn MoreWhy Minorities Are Underrepresented in Clinical Trials and What Physicians Can Do About It
The idea that racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in clinical trials has been well documented. That disparity has meant that cancer therapies are not being tested in the full demographic of people who will one day make use of them in the clinical setting.
Learn MoreDoctors Treating Minority Ovarian Cancer Patients May Not Be Aware of Their Own Implicit Biases
Evidence strongly suggests a higher mortality rate and lack of high-quality treatment among Black ovarian cancer patients than white patients. Although the exact reason for this disparity isn’t clear, factors ranging from socioeconomic inequality to access to health care may play roles.
Learn MoreSelinexor Combo Effective For Relapsed Multiple Myeloma; Could it Benefit COVID Patients, Too?
Most multiple myeloma patients eventually relapse and their cancers become unresponsive to therapy, leaving them with limited remaining options and a poor prognosis. For these patients, the combination of selinexor plus dexamethasone represents a "critical new direction" in treatment.
Learn MoreIn Head-to-Head Matchup with KRd, VRd Remains Gold Standard of Care in Multiple Myeloma
The three-drug combination of bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) has been the standard therapy for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The ENDURANCE trial presented at ASCO was a head-to-head effort to determine whether adding the next-generation proteasome inhibitor on the block, carfilzomib, to lenalidomide and dexamethasone (KRd) might perform even better. In short, it didn't.
Learn MoreBrentuximab Vedotin is ‘Great Stride’ Toward Improving Lymphoma Outcomes
Brentuximab vedotin has added considerably to the lymphoma treatment options available to oncologists. The drug was initially approved for the treatment of relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma following a stem cell transplant or, in patients who could not have a transplant, for those who had already undergone two or more chemotherapy treatments.
Learn MoreOvercoming Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Research and Care
Multiple myeloma has one of the most dramatic racial disparities of any cancers. Black Americans are more than twice as likely to get this cancer than white Americans. They're also more likely to die from multiple myeloma.
Learn MoreAddressing Work-Life Balance Essential for Doctors’ Mental Health
More than half of physicians surveyed say they've struggled to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem.
Learn MorePatients Need Careful Monitoring for CAR T-Cell Therapy Side Effects
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has become a major ally in the treatment of certain lymphomas and leukemias. However, this therapy is not without risks.
Learn MorePARP Inhibitors Boost Survival in Ovarian Cancer, Prompting New ASCO Guidelines on Their Use
PARP inhibitors are a class of drugs that inhibit one of the backup systems of DNA damage repair. Ovarian cancers with BRCA1, BRCA2, or certain other mutations have a defect in a major DNA damage repair pathway and are highly dependent on secondary pathways for their survival.
Learn MoreThe Promise of CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is showing great promise in multiple myeloma, with response rates in studies of 85% or more, and about half of patients going into complete remission for a year or longer.
Learn MoreBispecific Antibodies Offer Lymphoma Patients a Promising New Therapeutic Option
Bispecific antibodies have exciting potential as a cancer therapy, due to their ability to simultaneously bind to two targets. Right now, this treatment is only available in investigational trials, but it has shown promising outcomes for patients with relapsed-refractory lymphoma who have already undergone a transplant, CAR T-cell therapy, or other lines of treatment.
Learn MoreHow to Prevent COVID-19 From Taking a Toll on Your Mental Health
We often talk about COVID-19 in terms of infections and deaths. What sometimes remains unspoken is the emotional toll this virus has had, not only on patients, but also on the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who care for them. Research finds that these frontline medical workers face high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Learn MoreCOVID-19 Has Shifted Much of Ovarian Cancer Care to Telemedicine
COVID-19 has shifted much of oncology practice from the medical office to the computer screen. Fear of infection in an already vulnerable population has led to the rapid expansion of remote care delivery. When ovarian cancer visits are done remotely, do patients lose out?
Learn MoreObinutuzumab Plus Venetoclax Produces Significant Survival Benefits in CLL
For decades, chemotherapy was the foundation of treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Today, monoclonal antibodies like obinutuzumab have become part of the standard of care for CLL patients.
Learn MoreCAR T-Cell Therapy Produces ‘Remarkable’ Results in Multiple Myeloma, but It’s Still Not a Cure
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is showing great promise in multiple myeloma, as evidenced by a trio of investigational therapies presented at this year's ASCO conference.
Learn MoreNurturing the Relationship with Your Patients to Deliver Better Care
The strength of your relationship with your patients can have a significant impact on the quality of care you provide. Trust is one of the cornerstones of this relationship, but building that trust takes time and effort. And when you're juggling a heavy patient load, time can be a commodity in short supply.
Learn MoreDelaying Treatment to Protect Ovarian Cancer Patients from COVID Has Benefits and Risks
Determining the most appropriate cancer treatment for your patients usually involves finding a delicate balance between the risks and benefits. How effective will the treatment be? Can a patient tolerate it? COVID adds one more factor into the equation.
Learn MoreCould Ibrutinib Combined With Other Targeted Therapies and Chemo Be ‘the Future’ of B-Cell Lymphoma Treatment?
New research is enhancing our understanding of ibrutinib -- a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor used to treat several different types of lymphoma, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL), and mantle cell lymphoma. It has also produced positive responses in B-cell lymphoma, but is so far only used in patients with relapsed/refractory disease.
Learn MoreCytokine Release Syndrome: The Downside of CAR T-Cell Therapy
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has had great success thus far, producing lasting responses and even remissions in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic cancers such as B-cell lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Learn MoreImproving Diversity in the Medical Community Key to Increasing Trust Among Black Patients
Having a doctor with the same racial background builds trust, and makes patients more likely to comply with medical advice, follow through with recommended screenings, and take their prescribed medications.
Learn MoreCAR T-Cell Therapy is a ‘Revolution in Cancer Immunotherapy’
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is "paradigm changing" -- a "revolution in cancer immunotherapy." This treatment has ushered in a new era of therapy for blood cancer patients.
Learn MoreWhat COVID-19 May Have Changed Forever About Multiple Myeloma Care — Telemedicine
COVID made oncologists rethink how to deliver care to their multiple myeloma patients, who are already at higher risk for infection. Providers increasingly shifted to telemedicine, and quickly realized its long-term benefits -- particularly for patients living far from major cancer centers.
Learn MoreTo Treat Ovarian Cancer With PARP Inhibitors or Not: Factoring the Progression-Free Survival Benefit and Side Effects Into the Decision
PARP inhibitors like niraparib (Zejula) are an effective tool against ovarian cancer. The NOVA trial established that niraparib as maintenance therapy in platinum-sensitive patients significantly improved progression-free survival compared to placebo, regardless of women's BRCA or homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status. Then, the PRIMA study found the treatment extended PFS in patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer, with or without HRD deficiency.
Learn MoreCancer Affects Communities of Color Differently; How Providing Information on Prevention Can Help Level the Playing Field
Myeloma is just one example of a cancer that disproportionately impacts communities of color. Black Americans are twice as likely to have the precursor condition, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) than are white Americans.
Learn MorePractical Advice for Physicians Struggling with Mental Illness
A mental health crisis is going on right now, and acknowledging it is a first step in addressing the problem. The demanding pace of the industry puts physicians at high risk for burnout, particularly in the midst of the high-stress environment that a global pandemic brings.
Learn More‘Exciting’ New Therapies, Including BTK Inhibitors and Monoclonal Antibodies, Promising for CLL
In recent years, the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has undergone a seismic shift, with chemotherapy being replaced by a new and more effective generation of drugs. One of the "really exciting" therapies to emerge is the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Learn MoreThe Clinical Trial Disparity: Why So Few Black Patients Enroll
In trials for 24 of the 31 cancer drugs approved since 2015, fewer than 5% of participants were Black. As a result of this disparity, Black patients aren't getting access to experimental, and possibly lifesaving new therapies.
Learn MoreCOVID-19 Pandemic Reinforces the Need to Care for Your Mental Health
Fear of being perceived as weak or unable to do their jobs has created a stigma that prevents many physicians from accessing the mental health care they need. Inadequate treatment may be one reason why the risk for suicide is so much higher among doctors than it is in the general population.
Learn MoreCAR T-Cell Therapy is ‘Exciting,’ But Also ‘Overwhelming’ for Patients
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has been transformative in blood cancer therapy, particularly for patients with previously poor outcomes; however, producing the CAR T cells can be a complex process.
Learn MoreHow to Bridge the Information Gap and Overcome Distrust When Treating Women of Color
People of color face the highest rates of cancer, and of cancer mortality, than any other racial or ethnic group. Black women in particular have higher death rates, despite having a lower incidence of cancer overall.
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