Sneak Peek: Practical CAR T Cell Use in Multiple Myeloma Care

In a sneak preview of an upcoming video podcast series, Joshua Richter, MD, and Marco Davila, MD, PhD, introduced the overarching theme of their discussion: practical strategies for administering CAR T-cell therapy to patients with multiple myeloma. Richter and Davila highlighted key subtopics including navigating operational and referral workflows, dismantling access barriers to novel cellular therapies, and determining the proper candidates for treatment.

They also emphasized early evaluation to determine patient suitability for CAR T-cell therapy, a process that may help identify those who are most likely to experience the greatest responses with minimal toxicity. When it comes to sequencing different modalities, Richter pointed to data demonstrating the utility of administering CAR T-cell therapies prior to bispecific antibodies. On the topic of strengthening referral relationships between community oncologists and CAR-T centers, the experts described how academic cell therapy clinicians may have an incumbent responsibility to consider how to improve access to therapy and make it easier to refer patients to care.

“CAR T-cell therapy is now deeply entrenched in the world of relapsed multiple myeloma [and] is soon to be entrenched in the newly diagnosed world. These are therapies that I think we're all going to need to embrace, whether it's from an academic standpoint or a community standpoint,” Richter said during the conversation. “Having that ongoing communication back and forth, especially as the field is moving so quickly, is absolutely key in providing optimal care for our patients.”

Richter is an associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute, as well as the director of Multiple Myeloma at the Blavatnik Family - Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai. Davila is the senior vice president and associate director for Translational Research, a professor of Oncology, chief of Lymphoma/Multiple Myeloma Service, and Rustum Family Endowed Chair in Translational Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.