The unmet need for improved diagnostics was recently addressed by one of the most creative Myeloma treatment studies that has ever been done. The experiment, which had approximately 500 patients spread across roughly 40 NHS District General Hospitals, revealed a successful therapy for adults who have myeloma with a high risk of recurrence. That is, without a doubt, incredible! Myeloma is a kind of cancer that strikes bone marrow cells and is characterized by relapses and remissions. It is still mostly irreversible for the 5,800 individuals who are diagnosed with it each year in the UK, despite the tremendous breakthroughs in healthcare and treatment that have been made over the previous 15 years.

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Myeloma is a disease that typically has nonspecific symptoms, which can cause the diagnosis to be delayed. This can place a substantial strain, both physically and emotionally, on those suffering and their families. When not much has been discovered about how multiple myeloma reacts to therapy, it is difficult to provide an accurate prognosis of dangerous, violent myeloma at the time of identification or as soon as possible following the diagnosis. However, this is something that is not only urgently required but also extremely important. But we have high hopes that will soon alter substantially!

Patients who have been identified as having high-risk myeloma fare significantly better when they receive therapy for the disease by combining multiple therapies, as opposed to receiving them one after the other in the traditional manner. The study has been designated as OPTIMUM / MUK Nine. Dr. Martin Kaiser from the Institute for Cancer Research and the University of Leeds led the trial, which was funded by Myeloma UK and the DFN Foundation and carried out at those respective institutions.

This trial allowed us to ask the question differently: Who are the patients who need more intensive treatment combinations? We found that for myeloma patients with an aggressive form of cancer, correct diagnosis and access to the right combination of treatments can hugely deepen the responses and extend the time during which the tumor is in remission, often during which patients feel physically and psychologically well, explained Dr. Kaiser.

In comparison, less than half of patients who get the medication that is currently considered the gold standard are still in remission almost three years after they began treatment. However, over 75% of individuals who participated in the experiment were still in remission.

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