NEW YORK CITY, NY — A groundbreaking treatment for multiple myeloma cancer, known as CAR-T, has been found to be 90 percent effective, providing new hope and optimism for patients with this type of blood cancer. Patients like Judith Harding and Bill McHugh, who would have once been considered outliers, are now benefitting from treatment advances that have made their experiences typical rather than exceptional.
Dr. Sundar Jagannath, a multiple myeloma expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, has seen remarkable progress in the treatment of this disease. With drug combinations and immunotherapies, today’s patients can realistically dream of a disease-free life. For younger patients, the median life expectancy is 10 years or longer, while for elderly patients, significant progress has been made in extending their life expectancy to that of a normal, cancer-free life.
Advances in treatments have come in the form of individual drugs and combinations, such as the three-drug regimen and the four-drug combination. Additionally, immune therapy, including CAR-T therapy, has made a profound difference for multiple myeloma patients by targeting and destroying cancer cells.
In recent developments, two new therapies, known as bispecific antibodies, have been approved this month. These advanced forms of immunotherapy have shown the ability to provide deeper, longer-lasting remissions than earlier treatments, doubling the expected survival for most patients. The goal now is to achieve deep and durable remissions, and then to stop treatment entirely, providing long-term benefits to patients and reducing the financial burden on families.
With these ongoing advancements in the field, the next frontier is to understand how to help patients whose tumors manage to evade immunotherapies. Despite the progress, general confusion still exists, which emphasizes the need for patients to seek treatment from myeloma specialists at academic medical centers rather than generalists at community clinics.
Despite the challenges, Judith Harding, now 70, and Bill McHugh, diagnosed at age 44, continue to remain hopeful and positive about their treatments and outlook. With evolving treatments and a strong determination to find a cure, there is new hope for patients like Harding and McHugh.
In summary, the treatment advances for multiple myeloma continue to provide new hope for patients, extending their life expectancy and offering the potential for disease-free lives. With ongoing developments and breakthroughs, the goal of finding a cure for multiple myeloma is closer than ever.