My Key Takeaways from ASH 2024
Monday, December 16. Seven days ago, I was in meetings in San Diego overwhelmed and overloaded with information. My experience at ASH in San Diego is difficult to explain. I had the privilege to make “New Friends” and renew relationships with “Old Friends,” and it doesn’t get any better than that. The experience at ASH remains an amazing and unforgettable event, and I do not take that for granted. Each team member of the IMF contributed to a wonderful experience, and we were all blessed. I owe much thanks to the IMF for making it all possible.
I attended Dr. Sonja Zweegman’s presentation and was fascinated by the work her research group is doing with frail patients. It is a long-term follow-up of the HOVON 143 Trial. This is my best attempt to summarize with you what I learned:
The long-term follow-up of the HOVON 143 study, which involved frail patients with multiple myeloma, assessed the impact of treatment with Ninlaro (ixazomib), Darzalex (daratumumab), and low-dose dexamethasone. The study included 65 frail patients (ages 70 to 92), and after a median follow-up of 61.5 months, the median overall survival was 34.0 months, with median progression-free survival (PFS) of 13.8 months. The study also identified distinct frailty subgroups: patients who were frail based on age alone, those who were considered frail due to impairments, and ultra-frail patients with both age and impairment factors. Ultra-frail patients had worse outcomes. In contrast, patients who were frail based only on age showed better survival outcomes and were more likely to receive second-line treatment, which led to longer disease suppression.
These findings emphasize the need for more tolerable and effective therapies for frail patients, particularly those classified as ultra-frail. The study suggests that frail patients based on age alone could benefit from more intensive first-line treatments.
So much information! But the best takeaway for me, as I listened to one presentation after another: there are several prospective new therapies. I was diagnosed 17 years ago and at the time there was not much on the shelf for treatment. I am grateful for the research teams, the medical teams, pharmaceutical companies, and most of all—for the IMF.