Posted: Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Efforts to identify an effective treatment strategy for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma have revealed the clinical efficacy of combining low-dose radiotherapy with pembrolizumab therapy, according to a study published in The Lancet Haematology. This combined therapeutic approach may be an alternative strategy for patients who have been unresponsive to previous treatments. However, additional studies investigating the benefit of this treatment regimen are warranted, explained Mohammad K. Khan, MD, of Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues.
From 2018 to 2022, a total of 25 patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma were recruited from the Winship Cancer Institute for inclusion in the study. All patients were subjected to bone marrow biopsies, serial serum and urine paraprotein analysis, peripheral blood collections, serial imaging, staging, and physical examinations at baseline and after treatment. Patients received hypofractionated 8 Gy single fraction radiotherapy on the first day of treatment, followed by intravenous pembrolizumab on treatment day 2 or 3. Patients were closely monitored to assess for acute treatment-related toxicities.
The study authors reported evidence of treatment-related benefit in 32% of patients. Of these patients, two had complete responses, two had very good partial responses, three had partial responses, and one had stable disease. In addition, no radiation-related toxicity of grade 3 or worse was experienced by patients. However, one patient did report experiencing a grade 3 adverse event associated with pembrolizumab therapy. Furthermore, no treatment-related deaths were reported.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit thelancet.com.
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