Dr. Kumar on Updates to Treatment for Patients With High-Risk Myeloma

Shaji Kumar, MD, professor of medicine, chair of the Myeloma, Amyloidosis, Dysproteinema Group, Mayo Clinic, discusses updates to the treatment paradigm of high-risk multiple myeloma in an interview during the 2017 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium.

Multiple myeloma is a very heterogenous disease; although the median overall survival has improved, one-quarter of patients will still die within the first 3 to 4 years, Kumar explainns. The high-risk nature of the disease in some patients seems to be primarily driven by genetic abnormalities, as well as other tumor characteristics. Moreover, patients may present with standard-risk disease but then, over time, they can progress to higher-risk disease and require different treatment.

Researchers in the field have made strides in working to change therapy in their assessments of patients with high-risk multiple myeloma.

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