Dr. Davies on Key Considerations for Early-Relapse Multiple Myeloma

Faith Davies, MD, a professor in the Department of Medicine and director of the Clinical Myeloma Program at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses key considerations for developing a treatment strategy for patients with early-relapse multiple myeloma.

When selecting a treatment for this patient population, a host of factors need to be taken into consideration, according to Davies. First, assessing how well a patient responded to their initial therapy, as well as what that therapy was, is important when determining whether the class of drug can stay the same or if it needs to be changed, Davies says. Additionally, adverse effects experienced during initial therapy need to be considered in order to avoid them moving forward, Davies adds.

Finally, because patients could be significantly older than when they first start their initial therapy, comorbidities such as cardiac and neuropathy issues, or diabetes need to be considered, Davies notes. Understanding patient comorbidities can provide guidance in deciding which classes of drug should be included in treatment combinations, Davies concludes.