The 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will take place Friday, June 1, through Tuesday, June 5, in Chicago.
More than 25,000 clinical specialists from all over the world are expected to attend the five-day meeting to discuss the current research in cancer treatment and care. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Collaborating to Conquer Cancer.”
The meeting will include many presentations and seminars focused specifically on multiple myeloma. The ASCO website currently lists nearly 50 myeloma-based presentations (included under “lymphoma and plasma cell disorders”).
The ASCO meeting is one of three annual scientific meetings where important new myeloma-related research findings are usually reported. The other two key conferences are the annual meetings of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the European Hematology Association (EHA).
As in previous years, The Myeloma Beacon will be covering the ASCO 2012 meeting in detail. So readers can expect many articles during and after the meeting about the key myeloma findings.
Organization Of The Meeting
Research findings presented at ASCO and other scientific meetings are generally communicated in either oral presentations or poster summaries.
Oral presentations are usually done for research that is considered particularly important, either because the subject itself is important, or the results are based on substantial amounts of evidence (for example, a sizable clinical trial).
Poster research summaries are made available during specific “poster sessions,” when researchers make available their summaries in a large exhibition hall with small exhibits for each poster.
Compared to the research summarized during oral presentations, the findings in poster summaries generally are in earlier stages of development, and may involve only laboratory research or clinical trials with just a small number of patients.
Treatments Under Development
Several of this year’s ASCO presentations will unveil results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of potential new drugs under development for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In particular, there will be many presentations on carfilzomib (Kyprolis), pomalidomide, elotuzumab, Treanda (bendamustine), and several newer drugs that are in the early stages of clinical testing.
On June 3, there will be eight oral presentations about potential new anti-myeloma drugs.
The first three talks will be about carfilzomib studies.
First, Dr. Brigitte Kolb will present results from a Phase 1/2 study evaluating the combination of carfilzomib, melphalan (Alkeran), and prednisone in elderly patients with multiple myeloma.
Afterward, Dr. Joseph Mikhael will present results from a Phase 1/2 study of a new carfilzomib combination regimen. The regimen is known as “CYCLONE,” and it involves carfilzomib, cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), dexamethasone, and thalidomide (Thalomid) in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma.
The last carfilzomib presentation will be one by Dr. Andrzej Jakubowiak, in which he will present an analysis of stringent complete responses in newly diagnosed patients treated with carfilzomib, Revlimid (lenalidomide), and dexamethasone.
Next, Dr. Melissa Alsina will present results from a Phase 2 study of elotuzumab in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone in relapsed / refractory myeloma patients who previously did not respond to Velcade.
Dr. A. K. Stewart will give the presentation after Dr. Alsina’s, and it is likely to be met with a great deal of interest. Dr. Stewart will discuss results of a Phase 1 study of obatoclax, a potential new myeloma drug, in combination with Velcade for relapsed myeloma patients. This will be the first time an oral presentation about clinical trial results for obatoclax as a myeloma treatment will be made at a major medical meeting.
Dr. Phillipe Rodon will then present results from a clinical trial studying the combination of Treanda, Velcade, and dexamethasone in elderly relapsed and refractory myeloma patients.
Later in the session, Dr. Ravi Vij will present results from a study of pomalidomide in patients relapsed and refractory to Revlimid and/or Velcade.
The final presentation will be by Dr. Sagar Lonial, in which he will present results from a Phase 1 study of the oral proteasome inhibitor MLN9708 (ixazomib) in relapsed and refractory myeloma patients.
On June 4, myeloma experts will give three talks about immunotherapy for multiple myeloma. The first two presentations will summarize trial results for potential new myeloma treatments — siltuximab and daratumumab – that are not particularly well known among myeloma patients.
First, Dr. Robert Orlowski will present results from a Phase 2 study comparing siltuximab plus Velcade to Velcade alone in relapsed and refractory myeloma patients.
Next, Dr Torben Plesner will present preliminary efficacy results from a Phase 1/2 study of daratumumab in relapsed and refractory myeloma patients.
Dr. Phillipe Moreau will give the final presentation of the session. His talk will be about a Phase 2 study of elotuzumab in combination with Revlimid and dexamethasone in relapsed and refractory myeloma patients. Preliminary results from this trial were presented at the 2011 ASH meeting and were considered quite promising (see related Beacon news).
During poster sessions on June 2 and 4, researchers will also present results from several studies investigating potential new treatments for multiple myeloma, including pomalidomide, elotuzumab, panobinostat, MLN9708, SNS01-T, and a myeloma vaccine, as well as metronomic therapy (low-dose, daily chemotherapy).
Controversies In Myeloma
During an education session on June 2, myeloma experts will discuss several of the current controversies in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Dr. Vincent Rajkumar will first give a presentation titled, “Upfront Therapy for Myeloma: Tailoring Therapy across the Disease Spectrum,” in which he will discuss the many treatment options available to newly diagnosed myeloma patients. Dr. Rajkumar will review results from major Phase 3 trials and present a risk-adapted individualized approach to myeloma therapy. (Dr. Rajkumar also discusses a risk-adapted approach to treating myeloma in this Beacon column that he wrote.)
During the second presentation, Dr. Amrita Krishnan will give a talk titled, “Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma: Who, When, and What Type?” She will address the multitude of questions that clinical trials are addressing in regard to stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma. For instance: In the era of novel agents, should stem cell transplantation be done upfront or at the time of relapse? Are transplants feasible for older patients? Are allogeneic (donor) transplants better than autologous (self) transplants for high-risk patients? What approaches can be taken to reduce the risk of relapse?
Finally, Dr. Michel Attal will give a presentation titled, “Maintenance Therapy for Myeloma: How Much, How Long, and at What Cost?” Dr. Attal will also address the many questions surrounding the use of maintenance therapy in myeloma. For instance, what are the optimal dose and duration? Is the risk of side effects, second cancers in particular, acceptable? Will the disease be more aggressive at relapse?
Revlimid And Secondary Cancers
During the poster sessions on June 2 and 4, there will be several presentations about myeloma patients’ risk of developing secondary cancers.
In the June 2 session, one poster will present an analysis of second cancers among patients included in a multiple myeloma disease registry. Another poster will be about the risk factors for the development of second cancers after stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma.
The June 4 session will also include a poster about a retrospective analysis of second cancers in myeloma patients.
For more information on ASCO’s 48th Annual Meeting, including the final presentation schedule and information on attending, please see the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting website. Abstracts for the presentations will be available at 6 p.m. this evening.