HealthTree Podcast for Multiple Myeloma

In this episode of the HealthTree Podcast for Multiple Myeloma, Jenny Ahlstrom talks with Dr. Douglas Sborov of Huntsman Cancer Institute about plasma cell leukemia (PCL), a rare, aggressive disorder diagnosed when 5% or more plasma cells circulate in the blood. PCL often carries high-risk genetics, has been left out of most clinical trials, and even with modern therapy has a median overall survival of about three years.Dr. Sborov leads QUANTUM, a national trial for newly diagnosed primary PCL. All patients receive Dara-KRd and a transplant, then are randomized to Dara-KRd or the bispecific teclistamab, followed by carfilzomib and lenalidomide maintenance. He encourages PCL patients to join HealthTree so researchers can better understand this disease.

For three decades, a stem cell transplant has been a standard part of care for newly diagnosed myeloma patients who are eligible for one. But with powerful immunotherapies moving earlier into treatment, a question patients ask us constantly is finally being put to the test: is transplant still necessary?Dr. Timothy Schmidt of the University of Wisconsin joins us to discuss FASTER, a COMMIT consortium trial he co-chairs. After induction therapy, FASTER randomly assigns patients to either a bispecific antibody combination — elranatamab plus daratumumab — or to transplant followed by standard maintenance. MRD testing then guides what happens next. Patients with disease still detectable after a year cross over to the other approach, and patients who reach sustained MRD negativity may be able to stop treatment entirely and simply be watched.We talk about what transplant really asks of a patient, who might still need one, how bispecific antibodies work, infection risk and how it's managed, and what it means to stop myeloma treatment after years of being told maintenance continues indefinitely.

A new oral myeloma treatment is now in development. It doesn't work like anything else in your treatment history and has activity in patients who've run out of options. Join us as Dr. Nisha Joseph of Emory's Winship Cancer Institute breaks down how Inobrodib works, who it might help, and where it fits in the future of myeloma care.

Listen to this episode where Dr. Urvi Shah will talk about the myths and facts about food and how our diet impacts our outcomes when it comes to our myeloma journey

The year 2026 brings new promise in multiple myeloma with a wide variety of treatment options available for both newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory patients. Learn about the progress being made and the very latest in determining risk at diagnosis, strategies for smoldering myeloma patients, optimal treatments for newly diagnosed patients, things to consider at first relapse and beyond. Dr. Robert Orlowski will review advances in CAR T therapies, bispecific antibodies, targeted therapies, combination approaches and clinical trials to watch as the research continues advancing at a rapid pace in myeloma. 

The world of immunotherapy in multiple myeloma is exploding - with new treatments being FDA-approved and others working their way through the FDA approval process. In this show, Dr. Paul Richardson focuses on the innovation in immunotherapy that we've seen in the first half of 2025. This includes a discussion about CAR T, bispecific and trispecific antibodies, and a deeper dive on a new class of drugs in myeloma called Antibody Drug Conjugates, with a drug called belantamab mafodotin going through the FDA review process, with a hopeful approval in October of this year. 

Multiple myeloma treatment is advancing in promising ways. Learn about mid-year updates in multiple myeloma from the ASCO and EHA conferences and what to expect from the upcoming International Myeloma Society (IMS) meeting with Paul Richardson, MD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute. 

Learn more about Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing and how it’s being used today in research and for your myeloma care. Join Rafael Fonseca, MD, Mayo Clinic to learn when MRD testing should be done and how the results should be used in myeloma care 

Through her extensive (and continuing) research, Dr. Urvi Shah, a multiple myeloma specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is determined to find answers to the often-asked question by patients with precursor myeloma conditions, “What diet is best for me?” lCan a plant based diet affect your overall health? Can it affect your blood cancer progression or time to relapse? What does the science say about it, and what questions still need to be answered? Join us to discuss these topics and answer these questions and more. HealthTree is working with Dr. Urvi Shah's team at MSK in "Nutrivention-2", a national, multi-arm, randomized prospective telehealth study for MGUS and smoldering myeloma patients. This study will explore the microbial changes in response to a plant-based diet and supplements in smoldering myeloma patients. You can learn more about it HERE. If you're interested and want more information, please contact our support team - [email protected].

Bispecific antibodies are a growing class of treatment in multiple myeloma. Learn from global expert and International Myeloma Society (IMS) President Dr. Philippe Moreau about the advances being made in bispecific antibodies and what clinicians are learning about how and when to best use this therapy. Dr. Moreau will provide a review of approved and in-development bispecific antibodies, side effect management and more. Learn how HealthTree and IMS are partnering on the HealthTree Bispecific Antibody Study to provide more data and patient experiences to help the research community come to faster conclusions about this new, exciting treatment.