Myeloma Drug Added Earlier in Treatment Promising

Myeloma Drug Added Earlier in Treatment Promising

Response rate doubled for patients with this blood cancer, study finds

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A recently approved immunotherapy drug for a blood cancer called multiple myeloma can provide even better benefits if patients receive it earlier in their treatment, new clinical trial results show.

Darzalex (daratumumab) reduced patients' risk of cancer progression by 70 percent when added to a standard two-drug regimen for people with recurring myeloma, said lead researcher Dr. Antonio Palumbo. He is chief of the myeloma unit at the University of Torino department of oncology in Italy.

The new drug essentially doubled the response that doctors expect from the standard regimen of bortezomib (another immunotherapy drug) and dexamethasone (a steroid drug).

About 19 percent of patients given Darzalex had their cancer go into full remission, compared with just 9 percent of those taking the standard treatment, researchers found. "Very good" response rates doubled to 59 percent in the Darzalex group from 29 percent in the standard treatment group.

"It's clear now that we'll be moving to a three-drug regimen, with daratumumab as the standard of care," Palumbo said.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that make infection-fighting antibodies, researchers said in background information.

Abnormal plasma cells grow out of control in myeloma, crowding out other blood-generating cells in a person's bone marrow. Anemia, excessive bleeding, and a decreased ability to stave off infections are the result.

Myeloma is relatively uncommon. About 30,330 new cases are expected in 2016, and about 12,650 deaths, the American Cancer Society estimates.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Darzalex last November, for treatment of multiple myeloma patients who have undergone at least three prior rounds of treatment.

Darzalex targets a protein on the surface of cancer cells called CD-38, and appears to attack cancer cells in several ways, said Dr. Amrita Krishnan, a hematologist/oncologist at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, Calif.

The drug stimulates the immune system's ability to attack tumor cells, Krishnan said. At the same time, it can directly kill myeloma cells, causing rapid tumor shrinkage, the researchers said.

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