Binod Dhakal, MD, Associate Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin discusses current treatment options for patients with refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma.
Multiple myeloma is a rare blood cancer associated with uncontrolled growth of plasma cells (myeloma cells). 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
- constipation
The cancer is treatable but relapses are common and some patients are refractory to the first lines of therapy.
As noted by Dr. Bhinod, the treatment options for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma depend on many factors, including the number of previous lines of treatment, whether they are on maintenance therapy, the patient’s age and health, and the patient’s response to earlier therapies.
Recently, Dr Bhinod was involved in a clinical study showing the effectiveness of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) in patients with lenalidomide-refractory multiple myeloma. The results were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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