Dr. Cortes on the Advantage of BCMA-Targeted Therapy in Multiple Myeloma

Jorge E. Cortes, MD, director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, discusses the advantage of BCMA-targeted therapy in multiple myeloma.

BCMA is a cell surface protein that is highly expressed on all myeloma cells and not normal cells. As such, BCMA has proven to be an effective target in multiple myeloma with treatments such as antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers, and CAR T-cell therapy, says Cortes. Having a highly specific target is important in terms of efficacy and safety, explains Cortes. If the therapy is not highly specific to a target, it can lead to severe off-target toxicities.

A lot of research is moving toward developing more specific BCMA-directed immunotherapies, which may become available for commercial use in the next few years. Whether these agents will affect the use of stem cell transplant has yet to be determined, concludes Cortes.