An immune- and cancer cell-targeting antibody therapy has shown potential to eliminate residual traces of multiple myeloma, a deadly blood cancer, according to interim results from a clinical trial.
The trial involved 18 patients who received up to six cycles of the bispecific antibody linvoseltamab. Highly sensitive tests revealed no detectable disease in any of the participants, according to findings presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in Orlando, US.
The early success suggests that linvoseltamab could help patients avoid bone marrow transplants, which require intensive chemotherapy, and may improve long-term outcomes against the disease.
“These patients received modern, effective upfront treatment that eliminated 90 per cent of their tumor,” said lead researcher Dickran Kazandjian, from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
“Typically, patients like these would undergo high-dose chemotherapy and a transplant. Instead, we treated them with linvoseltamab,” Kazandjian added.
Researchers described the results as “extremely impressive,” noting that the disappearance of lingering myeloma cells could significantly benefit patients’ futures. While the therapy can keep the disease at bay for years, recurrence remains a possibility.
