Publications by authors named "Atrash S"

Interferon-alpha has activity against multiple myeloma. Modakafusp alfa is an immunocytokine comprising two attenuated interferon-alpha2b molecules and an anti-CD38 IgG4 antibody, targeting delivery of interferon-alpha to CD38+ immune and myeloma cells. This phase I/II trial (NCT03215030) enrolled patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma with ≥3 prior lines of treatment and refractory to or intolerant of ≥1 proteasome inhibitor and ≥1 immunomodulatory drug.

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In newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), measurable residual disease (MRD) status is prognostically important, but its role in treatment-decisions remains unclear. In a phase II trial (NCT04113018), we assessed daratumumab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Dara-KRd) induction followed by a next generation sequencing (NGS) based MRD-adapted strategy. The primary endpoint was rate of complete response and stringent complete response (≥CR) after induction.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) CAR-T therapy was approved in 2022 for treating patients with multiple myeloma who have not responded to other treatments.
  • Out of 255 patients, 236 received the therapy, and many of them didn't qualify for earlier trials, but the results were still positive.
  • Most patients experienced some side effects, but many showed good responses to the treatment, with a significant percentage remaining cancer-free after one year.
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The use of 4-drug induction regimens for treatment naïve newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) is associated with improved depth of response and progression-free survival (PFS). However, head-to-head trials of 4-drug combinations are lacking, and instead, these regimens are typically compared to 3-drug backbones; limiting the ability to discern whether any additional benefit (or toxicity) is simply additive or represents a synergy (or interaction). We conducted a meta-analysis of phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials that randomized treatment naïve NDMM patients to either a 4-drug or 3-drug induction regimen.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Although multiple myeloma remains incurable, advancements like CAR T-cell therapies have improved patient outcomes dramatically, with success rates for new treatments reaching as high as 97%.
  • - The introduction of BCMA-directed CAR T therapies, particularly idecabtagene vicleucel and ciltacabtagene autoleucel, marks a major shift in treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, despite limitations noted in previous studies.
  • - Ongoing research aims to address the issue of non-durable responses to CAR T therapies, exploring resistance mechanisms and developing clinical trials to enhance efficacy for patients with complex treatment histories.
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Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) has shown impressive efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). This study aimed to investigate the impact of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on the survival outcomes of RRMM patients treated with standard of care (SOC) ide-cel. Data were collected retrospectively from 11 institutions in the U.

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Selinexor (Seli) is a first-in-class, oral selective inhibitor of the nuclear export protein, exportin-1 (XPO1). Seli exhibits its antitumor effect through the blockage of XPO1, which increases nuclear retention of tumor suppressor proteins (TSPs), including p53, thereby limiting the translation of oncogenes, triggering cell cycle arrest and the death of malignant cells. Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients with del17p are deficient in TP53 and have a particularly poor prognosis.

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Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) was the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy to gain US Food and Drug Administration approval for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The clinical outcomes of standard of care (SOC) ide-cel in racially and ethnically diverse populations have been understudied. This study pooled data from 207 patients with RRMM (28% patients of racial and ethnic minority groups) treated with SOC ide-cel across 11 institutions to examine racial and ethnic differences in the incidence of toxicities and adverse events, response to ide-cel, and survival.

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While response rates and survival outcomes have been very promising for idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel), a proportion of patients do not respond or relapse early after this B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Understanding the characteristics of these patients is important for patient selection and development of novel strategies to improve outcomes. We evaluated factors associated with early progression (progression or death due to myeloma ≤3 months after CAR T-cell infusion) in patients treated with standard of care ide-cel at 11 US academic centers.

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Daratumumab-based combinations with pomalidomide/dexamethasone (DPd), or bortezomib/dexamethasone (DVd), have shown activity in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients. However, no direct comparisons of safety or efficacy of the two regimens have been published to date. We conducted a retrospective study to compare the safety and efficacy of DPd and DVd in daratumumab-naïve RRMM patients.

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We evaluated patients with relapsed multiple myeloma with renal impairment (RI) treated with standard of care idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel), as outcomes with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy are unknown in this population. RI was defined as creatinine clearance (CrCl) <50 mL/min. CrCl of <30 mL/min or dialysis dependence were defined as severe RI.

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Most patients with multiple myeloma experience disease relapse after treatment with a B-cell maturation antigen-targeted therapy (BCMA-TT), and data describing outcomes for patients treated with sequential BCMA-TT are limited. We analyzed clinical outcomes for patients infused with standard-of-care idecabtagene vicleucel, an anti-BCMA chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, at 11 US medical centers. A total of 50 patients with prior BCMA-TT exposure (38 antibody-drug conjugate, 7 bispecific, 5 CAR T) and 153 patients with no prior BCMA-TT were infused with ide-cel, with a median follow-up duration of 4.

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Background: Ki-67 is an index of proliferative activity and is an established predictive and prognostic marker in multiple malignancies. However, its prognostic relevance in multiple myeloma (MM) is unclear. We investigated the relationship between Ki-67 expression and survival outcomes in MM in the era of novel therapies.

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Despite advances in treatment, outcomes remain poor for patients with penta-relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated the survival outcomes of penta-RRMM patients treated with (BCMA)- directed therapy (BDT). We identified 78 patients with penta-RRMM.

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Introduction: Treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in first relapse remains a challenge. This phase II study combined elotuzumab (Elo) with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd) for treatment of MM in first relapse with the aim of improving efficacy.

Methods: Enrolled patients received Elo-KRd induction for 4 cycles, and Elo-lenalidomide maintenance until progression.

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Background: Daratumumab, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone (DPd) is an effective option for treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). In this study, we sought to analyze the risk of hematological and non-hematological toxicities in patients who responded to DPd treatment.

Methods: We analyzed 97 patients with RRMM who were treated with DPd between January 2015 and June 2022.

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Introduction: COVID-19 has profound effects on patients with multiple myeloma (MM) mainly due to underlying immune dysfunction and associated therapies leading to increased susceptibility to infections. The overall risk of morbidity and mortality (M&M) in MM patients due to COVID-19 infection is unclear with various studies suggesting case fatality rate of 22% to 29%. Additionally, most of these studies did not stratify patients by their molecular risk profile.

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Daratumumab demonstrates activity as a single agent and in combination with either immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs) or proteasome inhibitors (PIs) in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). However, little is known about the benefit of daratumumab retreatment in daratumumab-refractory MM. This study aimed to analyze the clinical efficacy of daratumumab-based retreatment (D2) in patients who are daratumumab refractory MM.

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Background And Objectives: While the role of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in the first line therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma is well established, efficacy of ASCT for patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in the era of novel therapeutic agents remains unknown. In this single center retrospective analysis, we evaluated and compared the efficacy and safety outcomes of patients with RRMM treated with daratumumab pomalidomide dexamethasone (DPd) alone versus (vs) DPd followed by ASCT.

Methods: A total of 83 patients with RRMM who were treated with and achieved at least partial response (PR) with DPd were evaluated by electronic medical records.

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Purpose: Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) is an autologous B-cell maturation antigen-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) on the basis of the phase II pivotal KarMMa trial, which demonstrated best overall and ≥ complete response rates of 73% and 33%, respectively. We report clinical outcomes with standard-of-care (SOC) ide-cel under the commercial Food and Drug Administration label.

Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from patients with RRMM who underwent leukapheresis as of February 28, 2022, at 11 US institutions with intent to receive SOC ide-cel.

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Introduction: Minimal residual disease (MRD) status is an established prognostic biomarker for patients with multiple myeloma. Commonly used MRD testing techniques such as next generation sequencing or next generation flow cytometry can detect as little as one or two multiple myeloma plasma cells in 10 normal bone marrow cells. Early pull of bone marrow aspirates (BMA), necessary to achieve such level of sensitivity, can be difficult to secure in routine clinical practice due to the competing need for early pull samples for clinical response assessment, therefore introducing the risk of analytical interference during MRD testing.

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Background: Triple-class relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) has a poor prognosis. This study analyzed the clinical outcomes of Belantamab mafadotin in combination with dexamethasone (Bd) in triple-class RRMM.

Methods: We identified 35 patients with triple-class RRMM who received Bd at the University of Kansas from October 2019 to November 2021.

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