Myeloma Cure Panel Discussion with Dr. Ravi Vij – A Summary

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The Myeloma Cure Panel began with Dr. Ravi Vij, the myeloma expert on the Myeloma Cure Panel talk show giving all the panelists and listeners, comprehensive data of the multiple myeloma journey in terms of research and drug development in the last ten years. He spoke at length on understanding the biology of the disease and better interventions in terms of better treatments with survival rates improving from about 18 months to 2.5 years to over 7 to 8 years in the present times. He particularly mentioned the availability of new technologies leading to new drug developments that have increased and made research efforts more fruitful.

On being asked about three drugs that excite the multiple myeloma community, Dr. Vij, mentioned carfilzomib, pomalidomide, and elotuzumab. Dr. Vij went on to discuss the currently approved carfilzomib and its side effects and followed it up with promising results on elotuzumab. He also mentioned other drugs to watch out for like daratumumab, and CD 138. He was also of the opinion that elotuzumab, carfilzomib, and pomalidomide were being studied in various clinical trials and these would be the ones that can be followed and monitored by multiple myeloma patients.

The panelists had a very good list of questions to ask the expert. While Pat Killingsworth started off the question answer session and wanted to know why there was a ‘one size fits all’ approach to dosing of drugs for patients, which often reduced patients’ quality of life, Lori Puente enquired about Plan B (alternate plan) for people with relapse and raised the concern regarding need for maintenance therapy. Nick Van Dyk proceeded with the question on long-term maintenance with Revlimid and link to myelodysplasia. Karen Crowley asked about the incidence of multiple myeloma in younger patients and the response to treatment while Gary Petersen, editor of myelomasurvival.com enquired about difference in treatment between high risk and low risk multiple myeloma patients. Interestingly, maintenance therapy and dosage of aggressive multiple myeloma drugs like dexamethasone dominated the panel discussion.

Dr. Vij answered all the questions posed to him and quoted data from studies providing the panelists and listeners with a lot of important information that would prove useful.

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