New first-line clinical trial makes CAR T-cell therapy available for all eligible adult patients with multiple myeloma, in addition to previously approved second- and third-line therapies
BOSTON - Boston Medical Center (BMC) today announced that it has opened a newly approved clinical trial offering CAR T-cell therapy as a first-line treatment for eligible adult patients with multiple myeloma, in a major advance in treatment for this devastating cancer. Previously, BMC and other hospitals were only able to offer FDA-approved second- and third-line therapies for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
This clinical trial offers the first, and only, B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) targeted therapy available as a first-line treatment option. Through this clinical trial, eligible adult patients at BMC will have access to a cutting-edge new therapy for multiple myeloma through all stages of their treatment, including after initial diagnosis.
While multiple myeloma is rare, it affects approximately 32,000 people in the United States and more than twice as many Black as white Americans; 70 percent of BMC’s patients with multiple myeloma are people of color.
Previous clinical trials of BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapies demonstrated that the earlier use of these therapies reduced the risk of disease progression, leading to the FDA’s recent approval of these indications for second- and third-line treatment. These new therapies harness a patient’s immune system, or T cells to fight multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. T cells are collected from individual patients, genetically engineered in the lab to be able to recognize and kill cancer cells, and later reinfused in the patient as CAR T-cells.
“We have seen dramatic improvements in cancer therapy over the past few years, but access to these new therapies has been limited,” said Matthew Kulke, MD, Chief of Hematology/Oncology at BMC. “Our work and partnerships to bring these therapies to BMC will be life-changing for many of our patients with multiple myeloma. This clinical trial will offer hope to our patients, who can now elect CAR T therapy as a first-in-line treatment with the opportunity to dramatically decrease the potential for relapse and increase their post-treatment quality of life long-term.”
According to the American Cancer Society, the death rate for Black Americans diagnosed with the disease is twice as high as it is for white Americans. These differences are thought to be in large part due to health inequities that limit access to early detection and high-quality care. Specifically, the American Cancer Society noted that Black patients have benefited less from recent improvements in treatment because of less access to care, lower utilization of new treatment, and more delays in treatment.
“Ensuring equitable access to this groundbreaking therapy is a step in the right direction to eliminate gaps in life expectancy and improve quality of life for our patients,” said Fabio Petrocca, MD, Director of the Cell Therapy Program at BMC. “Medicine is advancing rapidly, and we’re committed to ensuring that all patients have access to breakthrough treatments. Being able to offer CAR T therapy for multiple myeloma at the time of initial diagnosis, when the patient’s T cells have been ‘untouched’ by previous chemotherapies, provides a key potential advantage and is unprecedented. No other CAR T therapies are currently available as a first-line option.”
BMC was recently ranked as high performing in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report and was recognized by the Lown Institute as the most racially inclusive hospital in the country. As both an equity-led academic medical center and essential hospital, BMC is uniquely positioned to provide novel therapies to patients with the most acute need. BMC provides CAR T-cell therapy to eligible adult patients for other types of cancer, and BMC was the first hospital in New England to offer new FDA-approved gene therapies to patients with sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, advancing innovative care for all patients.
For more information on Boston Medical Center and the new clinical trial, visit BMC.org.
About Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center models a new kind of excellence in healthcare, where innovative and equitable care empowers all patients to thrive. We combine world-class clinicians and cutting-edge treatments with compassionate, quality care that extends beyond our walls. As an award-winning health equity leader, our diverse clinicians and staff interrogate racial disparities in care and partner with our community to dismantle systemic inequities. And as a national leader in research and the teaching affiliate for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, we’re driving the future of care.