Quiz: What Newly Approved Drug Treats Bone Metastases in Multiple Myeloma?

Do you know what dose of carfilzomib is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular events in multiple myeloma patients? How about the estimated incidence of new myeloma cases in 2018?

Question 1

Answer

C.Denosumab (Xgeva)

In January, the FDA approved denosumab (Xgeva) for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with bone metastases and multiple myeloma. The drug was previously approved for SREs in patients with prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other solid tumors in 2010. The new approval was based on results of the phase III 482 study, which included 1,718 patients who were randomly assigned to zoledronic acid (the standard of care for the prevention of SREs in multiple myeloma since 2002) after the study met its primary endpoint, with denosumab demonstrating non-inferiority to zoledronic acid (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.85–1.14; P = .01). 

Question 2

Answer

D.30,770

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that this year in the United States, 16,400 men and 14,370 women will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Question 3

Answer

B. 45 mg/m²

Treatment with carfilzomib for multiple myeloma was associated with increased incidence of CVAEs, with higher rates seen with higher doses of the drug, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in JAMA Oncology. The researchers identified 514 phase I to III prospective clinical trials of carfilzomib in patients with myeloma with evaluable toxic effects data. They included data from 24 eligible studies including 2,594 patients. Phase II or III studies and those with a carfilzomib dose of 45 mg/m² or higher were associated with high-grade CVAE.

Question 4

Answer

B. False

According to a data presented at the meeting, the updated final investigator-assessed progression-free survival for the intent-to-treat population of 792 multiple myeloma patients demonstrated a 9.5-month improvement with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone over lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone (median progression-free survival of 26.1 vs 16.6 months; hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.55–0.78; P < .0001).

Question 5

Answer

C. 12,770

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that in the United States, 6,830 men and 5,940 women will die of multiple myeloma in 2018.