Dr. Mailankody on BCMA CAR T-Cell Therapy in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Sham Mailankody, MBBS, assistant attending physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses research regarding the BCMA CAR T-cell therapy bb2121 in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

There are many studies examining BCMA CAR T-cell therapy in various stages of clinical development. A recent publication in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that bb2121, a BCMA CAR T-cell product that was used for treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, is associated with high response rates, explains Mailankody.

The overall response rate was 85% and the complete response rate was 45%, which is unprecedented in this patient population. However, relapses are common and, in this study, the median progression-free survival was 11.7 months, showing that there is room for improvement, Mailankody concludes.