Dr. Hoffman on Anticipated Developments in Multiple Myeloma

James E. Hoffman, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, discusses anticipated developments in the field of multiple myeloma.

Several of the active drugs in myeloma—including monoclonal antibodies—are relatively new and have only been available for about 3 to 3.5 years, says Hoffman. Moving forward, these agents are likely to move into the frontline setting. The benefit of this approach is added activity without the toxicity, says Hoffman. This will enable more deep, durable responses that may delay the time to relapse or potentially eliminate the possibility of relapse altogether.

Some of these effective therapies that are available now will ultimately be moved into the frontline setting, adds Hoffman. Hopefully, CAR T-cell therapy or a similar approach that harnesses potent immunotherapies will emerge in the relapsed sphere, offering the potential for a single treatment with durable responses or even potentially curative outcomes, Hoffman concludes.