Lucio N. Gordan, MD is Lead Author of First Real-World Study Comparing Preferred Treatments for Multiple Myeloma Findings Help to Inform Selection of Optimal First-Line Treatment

Medical oncologist Lucio N. Gordan MD, president and managing physician of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC (FCS), is lead author of the first real-world study comparing the two preferred regimens recommended for the primary treatment of non-transplant patients with newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma, published recently in Science Direct.

Results of the study to assess optimal clinical treatment strategies were reported in the article entitled, “Progression-Free Survival of Daratumumab (DRd) Versus Bortezomib Triplet Combination With Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone (VRd) in Transplant Ineligible Patients (TIE) With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (NDMM): TAURUS Chart Review Study.”

Approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, VRd (approved in 2017) and DRd (approved in 2019), are the only preferred regimens recommended by the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for the primary treatment of this patient population. However, previous to the TAURUS study, no direct head-to-head clinical trial had been conducted to compare the efficacy of the two regimens.

Conducted at nine sites across the U.S., inclusive of large academic and community-based centers, the study compared progression-free survival (PFS) among 178 patients ages 65 and above receiving DRd or VRd as first-line treatment (1L) in similar clinical settings.

As reported by Dr. Gordan and his co-authors, the findings “… show that TIE NDMM patients treated with DRd as 1L treatment had a lower risk of disease progression or death (14.5%) compared to patients treated with VRd (28.2%).” In summary, the authors stated: “These findings add to the growing body of evidence showing superiority of DRd vs. VRd as 1L treatment for TIE NDMM patients.”

Multiple myeloma affects white plasma in the bone marrow. Cancerous tumors can weaken the body’s immune system, damage bones and lead to end-organ damage. MM is the second most common hematologic malignancy in the U.S. Two thirds of newly diagnosed patients are 65 years or older. There is no cure; the median age at death is 75 years.

To access the study in Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2152265023015501