Carfilzomib and Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients With Multiple Myeloma
Posted: Monday, January 22, 2018
In the first systematic review and meta-analysis of carfilzomib-associated cardiovascular adverse events in patients with multiple myeloma, treatment with carfilzomib was found to be associated with a significant incidence of cardiovascular adverse events, with higher rates seen with higher doses of the drug. These research findings were presented by Adam J. Waxman, MD, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology.
“Clinicians should be paying attention to who may be at highest risk for these events, so they can tailor their therapy accordingly,” stated Dr. Waxman in a Penn Medicine press release.
The researchers evaluated data from phase I, II, and III prospective clinical trials of carfilzomib in patients with multiple myeloma. A total of 24 studies consisting of 2,594 patients met eligibility criteria.
For the three randomized clinical trials, the summary relative risks of all-grade and grade 3 or higher cardiovascular adverse events for those receiving carfilzomib compared with control patients who did not receive carfilzomib were 1.8 and 2.2, respectively. All-grade and grades 3 and higher cardiovascular adverse events were seen in 617 (18.1%) and 274 (8.2%) patients, respectively. Phase II or III studies and carfilzomib doses of 45 mg/m2 or higher were associated with high-grade cardiovascular events, suggesting phase I studies may be underdetecting these events, they suggested.
