Posted: Friday, March 18, 2022
According to research presented in Blood Cancer Journal, real-life data from patients with multiple myeloma treated with targeted therapy at the Mayo Clinic appears to be comparable to treatment data generated in randomized clinical trials. M.A. Gertz, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of belantamab mafodotin-blmf, which is highly selective for the B-cell maturation antigen found on plasma cells.
The retrospective study included 36 patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had received at least one dose of belantamab mafodotin at the Mayo Clinic between September 2020 and June 2021. Most patients (83%; n = 30) received belantamab mafodotin monotherapy; belantamab mafodotin was administered in combination with pomalidomide (n = 3), cyclophosphamide (n = 2), or thalidomide (n = 1) in six patients (17%). The median number of previous lines of therapy was eight.
The overall response rate was 33%, comparable with the rate reported in the DREAMM-2 clinical trial. Partial response, very good partial response, and complete response were achieved by 19%, 8%, and 6% of patients, respectively. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 2 months and 6.5 months, respectively. Keratopathy developed in 16 patients (43%) and led to the discontinuation of treatment for 8% of patients.
“Despite some promise, the role of belantamab in the era of other [B-cell maturation antigen]–directed therapy ([chimeric antigen receptor T], bispecific T-cell engagers) remains unclear,” concluded the authors.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.