May 2016
Greetings!
Welcome to the May issue of Multiple Myeloma Updates for Advanced Practitioners in Oncology.
Many of you may be gearing up to attend the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting early next month. In the next newsletter, I look forward to having some interesting new data to share after key results are presented in Chicago. In the meantime, I’ve selected some recent articles about MM in the news and in the literature to add to this treatment resource.
I would particularly like to share with you the results of a large phase III study comparing the all-oral regimen of ixazomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (IRd) to lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) alone in patients who have received 1 to 3 prior therapies to treat MM, recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine by Moreau and colleagues. Among the 722 patients enrolled, there was a progression-free survival advantage in those who received IRd vs. Rd (20.6 vs. 14.7 months, respectively). Thus, IRd can be considered an effective treatment option for patients who have received one prior therapy for MM.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to highlight Chapter 4 from our video roundtable, which focuses on the importance of monitoring and education for patients with MM. As anyone who works in the MM setting knows, commitment from the patient and his or her family members, as well as from the care team, optimizes the chances for success. Take a look at this short clip when you have a few minutes, then watch the whole video to hear the whole discussion.
As always, feel free to share this MM resource, the video roundtable discussion, and the JADPRO MM supplement with your colleagues.
Beth Faiman, PhD, APN-BC, AOCN®
Multiple Myeloma Program
Taussig Cancer Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio
