A new therapy has shown promising results in two clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, for whom standard treatments were not effective.
- Of the 288 patients studied, approximately 73% responded to therapy although they had seen no improvement with standard therapies in the past.
- Of these, more than 30% had a complete response (there were no signs of disease after treatment).
- Nearly 60% saw a significant response (the cancer was reduced but not completely gone).
Multiple myeloma is an incurable type of bone marrow cancer and is the second most common blood cancer. In France, in 2018, the estimated number of new cases of multiple myeloma and plasmacytoma was 5,442, according to Public Health France. However, a new therapy brings hope: it has been shown to be effective in 73% of patients in two clinical trials. The results of these trials have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Blood cancer: why this treatment works better than others
This new therapy, called “bispecific antibody therapy” acts on the patient’s bone marrow by activating his immune system, killing cancer cells. It works by guiding white blood cells, specifically T-lymphocytes – cells that play an essential role in fighting pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi) and tumors, among other things – to attach to cancer cells in the myeloma developing in the bone marrow.
Immunotherapy differs from previous treatments for multiple myeloma because it targets a specific receptor, called GPRC5D, which is found on the surface of cancer cells. This allows only the diseased part of the bone marrow to be targeted for destruction while the healthy part needed to maintain an immune system is spared.
“Almost 3/4 of myeloma patients could have a new life”
What struck the researchers was that the success of the therapy was observed in patients who had not achieved lasting remission with previous therapies. Indeed, the recurring problem in other treatments for multiple myeloma are repeated relapses (the cancer disappears and then reappears some time later).
These results therefore paint a promising picture for the future of this new therapy and for the management of multiple myeloma. “Almost three quarters of these patients could envisage a new life”has declared Dr. Ajai Chari, director of clinical research for the multiple myeloma program at the Tisch Cancer Institute and lead author of both studies.
