Amrita Krishnan, MD, Director of the Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at City of Hope Cancer Center, discusses the updated results from the MonumenTAL-1study testing talquetamab relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. These results were recently presented at the recent American Society of Hematology Meeting & Exposition (ASH 2021).
Multiple myeloma is a rare blood cancer associated with uncontrolled growth of plasma cells. Abnormal plasma cells – also known as myeloma cells – interfere with the production of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. Myeloma cells also produce inactive clones of abnormal antibodies that may negatively affect the bones and kidneys. Symptoms of multiple myeloma may include: bone pain (particularly in the chest and spine), frequent infections, weakness or numbness in the legs, fatigue, confusion, excessive thirst, and constipation. While the disease is treatable, relapses are common and some patients are refractory to first line treatment.
As Dr. Krishnan explains, MonumenTAL-1 is a phase 1 study examining talquetamab in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Talquetamab is a bispecific antibody that targets both GPRC5D and CD3 on T cells.
To date, 95 patients have received talquetamab. Among those, 30 received a dose of (405 µg/kg QW), and within that group, 70% (21/30) achieved a response, 53% achieved a very good partial response or better, 13% achieved a complete response (CR) or better, and 10% achieved a stringent complete response (sCR).
To learn more about multiple myeloma and other rare cancers, visit checkrare.com/diseases/cancers/