Expert Interviews

Combining ADCs has shown a potential improvement in survival, but it may also come with increased toxicities.

Cross-resistance makes it important to determine sequencing options across antibody-drug conjugates for patients with breast cancer.

Patients with node-negative disease who are older and have comorbidities may not be suitable to receive CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Panelists discuss management strategies for a patient with low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome with erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) failure, weighing options between initiating luspatercept or escalating ESA dosage while emphasizing the need for thorough evaluation of reversible causes before advancing therapy.

Panelists discuss how talquetamab’s unique targeting mechanism offers significant advantages for patients with prior T-cell therapy exposure, whereas future research should focus on combination strategies and understanding primary resistance mechanisms.

Panelists discuss a complex case of lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, debating immediate transfusion for symptom relief vs thorough evaluation and targeted long-term anemia management to balance comorbidities and optimize outcomes.

An observed carryover effect with CDK4/6 inhibitors may reduce the risk of recurrence years after a patient stops treatment.

In a discussion at IBC East, Heather McArthur, MD, highlighted how immunotherapy is being utilized for patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Panelists discuss how 4-drug regimens anchored by CD38 antibodies are becoming the standard of care in myeloma, with future directions focusing on integrating novel immunotherapies and potentially redefining the role of transplant.

Panelists discuss that Dara-VRD offers significant benefits in sustained minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity and progression-free survival with a manageable safety profile, emphasizing dose adjustments and supportive care to balance efficacy and toxicity in frontline multiple myeloma treatment.

Panelists discuss emerging strategies to manage delayed neurotoxicity from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma, highlighting the predictive value of postinfusion lymphocyte expansion, the potential of early dexamethasone intervention, and the need for continued research and collaboration to refine toxicity prevention and ensure safer, broader use of CAR T in earlier treatment lines.

Panelists discuss recent data showing that sustained minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity strongly predicts long-term progression-free survival (PFS) in multiple myeloma, regardless of whether patients receive a 4-drug daratumumab-based regimen or standard-drug therapy, emphasizing MRD negativity as a key surrogate end point; they also highlight challenges in predicting who benefits most from intensive therapy and the importance of individualized dosing strategies to balance efficacy and tolerability across different patient populations.

Panelists discuss the growing support for incorporating chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy earlier in the multiple myeloma treatment pathway, emphasizing the importance of timely referral and personalized decision-making to maximize patient outcomes before disease progression or comorbidities limit eligibility.

Heather McArthur, MD, spoke about the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in the adjuvant setting for patients with HR+/HER2– breast cancer.

“Developments that take high-dimensional data and come up with interpretable insights…are going to play an increasing role,” says Smita Krishnaswamy, PhD.

Panelists discuss how the efficacy outcomes from CARTITUDE-1, including a substantial progression-free survival (PFS) benefit, highlight the transformative impact of deep, sustained minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative responses.

Panelists discuss how comprehensive patient education about expected adverse effects, combined with prophylactic measures including dexamethasone premedication and dermatologic support, helps patients successfully tolerate amivantamab plus lazertinib therapy while maintaining treatment adherence.

Panelists discuss how to operationalize talquetamab dosing in community settings by addressing the main challenges of infection risk and skin toxicity through patient education, proactive monitoring protocols, and careful patient selection, with early community experience showing manageable toxicity rates and the importance of setting proper expectations about skin and nail changes as markers of drug activity rather than concerning adverse effects.

Panelists discuss how the emerging trispecific antibody (targeting both T cells and natural killer [NK] cells) has generated significant excitement with its unprecedented 100% overall response rate in B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)–exposed patients, while incorporating lessons learned from earlier bispecifics such as starting with Q4 weekly dosing and built-in tocilizumab prophylaxis, although they acknowledge this breakthrough may completely reshape treatment sequencing strategies and create new challenges in determining optimal therapy combinations.

Panelists discuss how real-world experience with amivantamab plus lazertinib has shown remarkable responses consistent with trial data, including effectiveness in challenging cases like leptomeningeal disease, with manageable adverse effects when proper prophylactic measures and patient education are implemented.