Dr. Landgren on the Standard of Care in Multiple Myeloma

Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, Head, Multiple Myeloma Section, National Cancer Institute, discusses the standard of care for patients with multiple myeloma.

The standard of care in the U.S., Landgren says, includes a combination of two to three drugs administered in four cycles. Then, stem cells are collected and delivered with high-dose melphalan. Landgren says some patients are wondering if a transplant is needed, which is being examined in clinical trials.

New drugs take patients into a deeper response than ever before, Landren says. However, older patients are not candidates for procedures that include transplants, as they cannot handle the toxicities. The standard of care in this population is two to three drug cycles repeated over time followed by a more chronic treatment approach.