Elotuzumab Therapy for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 373; no. 7; pp. 621 - 631
• Main Authors: Lonial, Sagar, Dimopoulos, Meletios, Palumbo, Antonio, White, Darrell, Grosicki, Sebastian, Spicka, Ivan, Walter-Croneck, Adam, Moreau, Philippe, Mateos, Maria-Victoria, Magen, Hila, Belch, Andrew, Reece, Donna, Beksac, Meral, Spencer, Andrew, Oakervee, Heather, Orlowski, Robert Z, Taniwaki, Masafumi, Röllig, Christoph, Einsele, Hermann, Wu, Ka Lung, Singhal, Anil, San-Miguel, Jesus, Matsumoto, Morio, Katz, Jessica, Bleickardt, Eric, Poulart, Valerie, Anderson, Kenneth C, Richardson, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 13.08.2015
• Subjects: Adapter proteins; Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - adverse effects; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Cell activation; Clinical outcomes; Cytotoxicity; Dexamethasone; Dexamethasone - therapeutic use; Disease-Free Survival; Drug dosages; Drug therapy; Fatigue; Glycoproteins; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Immunostimulation; Immunotherapy; Lymphopenia; Middle Aged; Monoclonal antibodies; Multiple myeloma; Multiple Myeloma - drug therapy; Multiple Myeloma - mortality; Neutropenia; Receptors, Immunologic - antagonists & inhibitors; Recurrence; Risk assessment; Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family; Survival; Thalidomide - analogs & derivatives; Thalidomide - therapeutic use; Thromboembolism
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1505654

The addition of elotuzumab (a monoclonal antibody against SLAMF7) to lenalidomide plus dexamethasone produced a significant increase in progression-free survival as compared with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone alone. Multiple myeloma, a malignant disease of monoclonal plasma cells, has a median overall survival of approximately 5 years. 1 Despite improvements in treatment outcomes with proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs, most patients continue to have a relapse, and new treatment approaches are needed. Combination therapy may be key to overcoming drug resistance and improving long-term treatment outcomes. Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory drug, in combination with dexamethasone is a standard regimen in patients with relapsed or refractory disease. 2 , 3 Three-drug combinations are emerging for patients with previously treated multiple myeloma 3 but may be limited by toxic effects. Agents with new mechanisms of action . . .