Support Groups May Help Manage Talquetamab-Related AEs in Multiple Myeloma

Adverse effects (AEs) related to treatment with talquetamab-tgvs (Talvey), which may include taste changes and dry skin, are temporary and manageable, according to Samantha Shenoy, NP, MSN.

CancerNetwork® asked Samantha Shenoy, a nurse practitioner at the Cancer Immunotherapy Clinic of University of California San Francisco Health, whether she wanted to highlight any ideas from a discussion on AEs associated with talquetamab for patients with multiple myeloma.

She began by expressing passion for assisting patients with managing oral and dermatologic AEs after helping patients who have received multiple years of treatment with talquetamab. She further explained how she reinforces the ephemerality of symptoms associated with the use of the drug when communicating with patients while emphasizing that their outcomes may improve through continued therapy. Shenoy concluded by suggesting that patient testimonial through support groups, emphasizing favorable outcomes following treatment with talquetamab, may help patients currently experiencing treatment-related AEs.

Transcript:

I feel passionately about [educating patients], because I have seen patients who have had many lines of therapy and are now getting 3, 4, or 5 years out of a drug and are still going. I feel passionately about the fact that we can educate patients who are struggling at the beginning [to] hang in there. It is not going to last forever. That is so critical to say. I can imagine how frustrating it is not being able to taste while your mouth is dry and your hands are peeling; [they should know] that it is not forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have had several patients [ask], “Sam, is this going to last forever? Am I [never] going to get my taste back? Are my hands always going to be peeling?” My answer is always no.

I recently [conducted] a support group for [patients with] myeloma. I had 2 patients, one who had been on the drug for almost 4 years, and then a patient who is at the very beginning. I said to the patient who had been on it for 3 to 4 years, “Share your experience so that people know that now you are skiing every weekend. Your taste is 100%. You might have some dry skin, but other than that, you are thriving, and you are living your life.” The last thing that I want to say is that these GPRC5D-associated [AEs] are not forever. If we can use these tools, give [patients] a handout ahead of time, educate them beforehand, and continue [educating patients] about things that they can do to make it through, [talquetamab] is a drug that has good efficacy, and it is something that is prolonging people’s lives.