Shahrin Ahmed: Providing solutions for one of the most challenging cancers

Shahrin Ahmed, Medical Specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society, shared on X:    .

“Multiple myeloma treatment has undergone significant advancements –

While there have been many new developments in the research on multiple myeloma (MM), it remains incurable and has a five-year survival rate of 52% for newly diagnosed patients. Frailty or certain comorbidities may prevent people over 65 from receiving common treatment regimens and procedures, which is where MM is most commonly diagnosed for instance, a bone marrow transplant.

The most consistent issue for care remains the frequent likelihood of relapse, which necessitates multiple cycles and types of therapy, regardless of age or prior health status.

New solutions are crucial to address common treatment challenges across different lines of therapy due to MM being a complex disease. Immun-science researchers are exploring new mechanisms, targets, technologies, and differentiated combinations by harnessing the immune system’s power. MM treatment outcomes could be significantly improved by overcoming these barriers one day.

Researchers are studying monoclonal antibodies, a type of immunotherapy that targets specific epitopes on MM cells. The immune system could be activated to detect and attack cancerous cells by targeting these epitopes, which could potentially induce an immune response.

The presentation of recent data includes research on MM at the annual meetings of ASCO and EHA in 2024. Monoclonal antibodies were used by the panel to target CD38, a protein that is highly and uniformly expressed on the surface of MM cells.

Providing solutions for one of the most challenging cancers and remaining committed to advancing oncology innovation.”

Source: Shahrin Ahmed/X