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Myeloma Research To Be Presented At The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 48th Annual Meeting (ASCO 2012)

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Published: May 16, 2012 1:53 pm

The 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will take place Friday, June 1, through Tuesday, June 5, in Chicago.

More than 25,000 clin­i­cal spe­cialists from all over the world are ex­pec­ted to attend the five-day meeting to discuss the cur­rent re­search in cancer treat­ment and care. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Collaborating to Conquer Cancer.”

The meeting will in­clude many pre­sen­ta­tions and seminars focused spe­cif­i­cally on mul­ti­ple myeloma. The ASCO website cur­rently lists nearly 50 myeloma-based pre­sen­ta­tions (included under “lymphoma and plasma cell disorders”).

The ASCO meeting is one of three annual scientific meetings where im­por­tant new myeloma-related re­search findings are usually reported. The other two key conferences are the annual meetings of the American Society of He­ma­tol­ogy (ASH) and the Euro­pean He­ma­tol­ogy Asso­ci­a­tion (EHA).

As in pre­vi­ous years, The Myeloma Beacon will be cover­ing the ASCO 2012 meeting in detail.  So readers can ex­pec­t many articles during and after the meeting about the key myeloma findings.

Organization Of The Meeting

Research findings pre­sented at ASCO and other scientific meetings are generally com­mu­ni­cated in either oral pre­sen­ta­tions or poster summaries.

Oral pre­sen­ta­tions are usually done for re­search that is con­sidered par­tic­u­larly im­por­tant, either because the subject itself is im­por­tant, or the re­­sults are based on sub­stan­tial amounts of evi­dence (for example, a sizable clin­i­cal trial).

Poster re­search summaries are made avail­able during spe­cif­ic “poster sessions,” when re­searchers make avail­able their summaries in a large exhibition hall with small exhibits for each poster.

Compared to the re­search summarized during oral pre­sen­ta­tions, the findings in poster summaries generally are in earlier stages of devel­op­ment, and may in­volve only laboratory re­search or clin­i­cal trials with just a small num­ber of patients.

Treatments Under De­vel­op­ment

Several of this year’s ASCO pre­sen­ta­tions will unveil re­­sults from Phase 1 and Phase 2 clin­i­cal trials of poten­tial new drugs under devel­op­ment for the treat­ment of mul­ti­ple myeloma. In par­tic­u­lar, there will be many pre­sen­ta­tions on carfilzomib (Kyprolis), pomalidomideelotuzumabTreanda (bendamustine), and sev­er­al newer drugs that are in the early stages of clin­i­cal testing.

On June 3, there will be eight oral pre­sen­ta­tions about poten­tial new anti-myeloma drugs.

The first three talks will be about car­filz­o­mib stud­ies.

First, Dr. Brigitte Kolb will present re­­sults from a Phase 1/2 study eval­u­ating the com­bi­na­tion of car­filz­o­mib, melphalan (Alkeran), and prednisone in elderly patients with mul­ti­ple myeloma.

Afterward, Dr. Joseph Mikhael will present re­­sults from a Phase 1/2 study of a new car­filz­o­mib com­bi­na­tion regi­men.  The regi­men is known as "CYCLONE," and it in­volves car­filz­o­mib, cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), dexa­meth­a­sone, and thalidomide (Thalomid) in patients with newly diag­nosed myeloma.

The last car­filz­o­mib pre­sen­ta­tion will be one by Dr. Andrzej Jakubowiak, in which he will present an analysis of stringent com­plete re­sponses in newly diag­nosed patients treated with car­filz­o­mib, Revlimid (lena­lido­mide), and dexa­meth­a­sone.

Next, Dr. Melissa Alsina will present re­­sults from a Phase 2 study of elotuzumab in com­bi­na­tion with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib) and dexa­meth­a­sone in re­lapsed / re­frac­tory myeloma patients who pre­vi­ously did not respond to Velcade.

Dr. A. K. Stewart will give the pre­sen­ta­tion after Dr. Alsina's, and it is likely to be met with a great deal of interest.  Dr. Stewart will discuss re­­sults of a Phase 1 study of obatoclax, a poten­tial new myeloma drug, in com­bi­na­tion with Velcade for re­lapsed myeloma patients.  This will be the first time an oral pre­sen­ta­tion about clin­i­cal trial re­­sults for obatoclax as a myeloma treat­ment will be made at a major med­i­cal meeting.

Dr. Phillipe Rodon will then present re­­sults from a clin­i­cal trial studying the com­bi­na­tion of Treanda, Velcade, and dexa­meth­a­sone in elderly re­lapsed and re­frac­tory myeloma patients.

Later in the session, Dr. Ravi Vij will present re­­sults from a study of poma­lido­mide in patients re­lapsed and re­frac­tory to Revlimid and/or Velcade.

The final pre­sen­ta­tion will be by Dr. Sagar Lonial, in which he will present re­­sults from a Phase 1 study of the oral pro­te­a­some in­hib­i­tor MLN9708 (ixazomib) in re­lapsed and re­frac­tory myeloma patients.

On June 4, myeloma experts will give three talks about immuno­therapy for mul­ti­ple myeloma.  The first two pre­sen­ta­tions will summarize trial re­­sults for poten­tial new myeloma treat­ments -- siltuximab and daratumumab -- that are not par­tic­u­larly well known among myeloma patients.

First, Dr. Robert Orlowski will present re­­sults from a Phase 2 study com­par­ing siltuximab plus Velcade to Velcade alone in re­lapsed and re­frac­tory myeloma patients.

Next, Dr Torben Plesner will present pre­lim­i­nary ef­fi­cacy re­­sults from a Phase 1/2 study of dara­tu­mu­mab in re­lapsed and re­frac­tory myeloma patients.

Dr. Phillipe Moreau will give the final pre­sen­ta­tion of the session.  His talk will be about a Phase 2 study of elotuzumab in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid and dexa­meth­a­sone in re­lapsed and re­frac­tory myeloma patients.  Preliminary re­­sults from this trial were pre­sented at the 2011 ASH meeting and were con­sidered quite promising (see re­lated Beacon news).

During poster sessions on June 2 and 4, re­searchers will also present re­­sults from sev­er­al stud­ies investigating poten­tial new treat­ments for mul­ti­ple myeloma, in­clud­ing poma­lido­mide, elotuzumab, panobinostat (Farydak), MLN9708, SNS01-T, and a myeloma vaccine, as well as metronomic ther­apy (low-dose, daily chemo­ther­apy).

Controversies In Myeloma

During an education session on June 2, myeloma experts will discuss sev­er­al of the cur­rent controversies in the treat­ment of mul­ti­ple myeloma.

Dr. Vincent Rajkumar will first give a pre­sen­ta­tion titled, “Upfront Therapy for Myeloma: Tailoring Therapy across the Disease Spectrum,” in which he will discuss the many treat­ment op­tions avail­able to newly diag­nosed myeloma patients.  Dr. Rajkumar will review re­­sults from major Phase 3 trials and present a risk-adapted in­di­vid­ualized ap­proach to myeloma ther­apy. (Dr. Rajkumar also discusses a risk-adapted ap­proach to treating myeloma in this Beacon column that he wrote.)

During the sec­ond pre­sen­ta­tion, Dr. Amrita Krishnan will give a talk titled, “Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma: Who, When, and What Type?”  She will address the mul­ti­tude of questions that clin­i­cal trials are addressing in regard to stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion for mul­ti­ple myeloma.  For instance:  In the era of novel agents, should stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion be done up­front or at the time of relapse?  Are trans­plants feasible for older patients?  Are allo­geneic (donor) trans­plants better than au­tol­o­gous (self) trans­plants for high-risk patients?  What ap­proaches can be taken to reduce the risk of relapse?

Finally, Dr. Michel Attal will give a pre­sen­ta­tion titled, “Maintenance Therapy for Myeloma: How Much, How Long, and at What Cost?”  Dr. Attal will also address the many questions surrounding the use of main­te­nance ther­apy in myeloma.  For instance, what are the optimal dose and duration?  Is the risk of side effects, sec­ond cancers in par­tic­u­lar, ac­ceptable?  Will the dis­ease be more aggressive at relapse?

Revlimid And Secondary Cancers

During the poster sessions on June 2 and 4, there will be sev­er­al pre­sen­ta­tions about myeloma patients’ risk of devel­op­ing secondary cancers.

In the June 2 session, one poster will present an analysis of sec­ond cancers among patients in­cluded in a mul­ti­ple myeloma dis­ease registry.  Another poster will be about the risk factors for the devel­op­ment of sec­ond cancers after stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion for mul­ti­ple myeloma.

The June 4 session will also in­clude a poster about a retro­spec­tive­ analysis of sec­ond cancers in myeloma patients.

For more in­­for­ma­tion on ASCO’s 48th Annual Meeting, in­clud­ing the final pre­sen­ta­tion schedule and in­­for­ma­tion on attending, please see the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting website.  Abstracts for the pre­sen­ta­tions will be avail­able at 6 p.m. this evening.

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7 Comments »

  • TerryH said:

    Obatoclax? Daratumumab? Where do they come up with the names for these drugs?!

    Thanks for this useful overview of some of the presentations to look out for at the upcoming meeting. It's great to see that there will be news about drugs, like obatoclax, siltuximab, and daratumumab, which we haven't heard too much about until now. I'm sure I'm also not the only one looking forward to the data that will be presented about a potential myeloma vaccine.

  • suzierose said:

    The obatoclax hot link is not working.

  • Julie Shilane (author) said:

    Hi suzierose,

    The obatoclax link should be working. The only article displayed on the page, however, will be this article, since it's the only article we have published about the drug so far.

  • Nancy shamanna said:

    hi Julie, I will look forward to reading your reports covering the ASCO meeting. it is great to have the key points in your articles presented in a manner that we interested people who want to follow the latest developments can follow. that always seems to stimulate good online discussions! when you think of the improvements being made in treatments as the science and clinical trials push along medical knowledge, it is so remarkable! even in the last three years since I fell into the world of myeloma and it's treatments, a lot of progress has been made!

  • william g. hood said:

    completed 4 sessions of carfilamid/dex...light chain 455 now to begin bendamustine/relvamid/dex...do you have any info on this or others who may have tried in arefract/relaspe situation?

  • Julie Shilane (author) said:

    William, I'm sorry to hear that carfilzomib-dexamethasone isn't working for you and that you have to try a new regimen.

    Results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of Treanda (bendamustine)-Revlimid-dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory myeloma patients were presented in December at the American Society of Hematology meeting. A summary of the results can be found here:
    http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2011/01/03/treanda-shows-promising-activity-in-relapsedrefractory-multiple-myeloma-patients-ash-2010-meeting/

    If it's of interest to you, results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of Treanda-Velcade-dexamethasone in elderly relapsed/refractory myeloma patients were presented last week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. A summary of those results can be found here (about half way down the article):
    http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2012/06/03/asco-2012-multiple-myeloma-update-day-three-new-myeloma-treatments/

    Best wishes that your new regimen works well!

  • TerryH said:

    William, you also may want to check out the columns by Arnie Goodman that are published here. Arnie is a relapsed myeloma patients and discusses topics, including treatments, that may be of help to you. Here is a list of his columns:

    http://www.myelomabeacon.com/author/arnold-goodman/