Professor and director of the myeloma center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Charles and Clydene Scharlau Chair for Hematological Malignancies

Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD

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spoke with Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD, professor, director, Myeloma Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Charles and Clydene Scharlau Chair for Hematological Malignancies, about the clinical implications of CAR T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

CAR T-cell therapy is approved for patients who have received more than 4 prior lines of therapy and who have progressed on treatment with a proteasome inhibitor, as well as an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Van Rhee discussed how most patients who are currently receiving CAR T-cell therapy are those with advanced disease. He stated that he treatment is a very important option for those who are difficult to treat, and who have historically poor outcomes.

The MAMMOTH trial, which was a retrospective analysis of 275 patients, demonstrated that patients with refractory disease have a short overall survival, varying from 5 to 11 months, depending on how many agents they are refractory to, van Rhee explains. As such, there is a need for improved treatments for those with relapsed/refractory disease, and CAR T-cell therapy offers hope for this patient population, van Rhee concludes.

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The professor and director of the Myeloma Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences discussed the clinical implications of CAR T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Clinical Implications of CAR T-Cell Therapy in R/R Myeloma: Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD

While the use of CAR T-cell therapy is growing in patients with multiple myeloma, the significant question of figuring out where it fits into the treatment algorithm remains. The therapy could be given early in the course of treatment, such as for patients who experience early relapse, those who are diagnosed with aggressive disease, or as a replacement for stem cell transplantation.

poke with Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD, professor and director of the myeloma center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Charles and Clydene Scharlau Chair for Hematological Malignancies, about these questions. He discussed future research directions with CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma.

Another future opportunity with this modality is to improve upon existing CAR T-cell therapies, van Rhee adds. Thus far, CAR T-cell therapy has been exciting due to the results obtained with only first-generation products, van Rhee notes. To build on this, it is important to examine how to make these treatments persist, and last longer in patients, as well as understand how the bone marrow microenvironment affects the efficacy of these treatments, van Rhee concludes.

The professor and director of the myeloma center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences discussed future research with CAR T in multiple myeloma.

Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD

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Clinical Implications of CAR T-Cell Therapy in R/R Myeloma: Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD

Future Research With CAR T Therapy in Multiple Myeloma: Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD