The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, the world’s largest haematology conference, will take place from 9 – 12 December in San Diego, United States. It is a very exciting event for the myeloma and AL amyloidosis clinical and patient community, with all the results from the latest and most important research being presented.

Myeloma Patients Europe (MPE) will attend the meeting to learn and share updates about the most significant developments in myeloma and AL amyloidosis. MPE will also meet with members, sponsors, European and US advocacy groups, myeloma doctors, researchers and other stakeholders to discuss ongoing projects and future collaborations.

Stay tuned to our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) for the latest information during the conference. MPE will be filming and posting interviews with leading researchers throughout the Meeting. We will also host an ASH highlights webinar on 17 January at 17:00 CET.

MPE´s Head of Scientific Education, Solène Clavreul, is also a co-author on a poster being presented on Sunday, 10 December. The poster is entitled Cytokine Release Syndrome: The Patient, Caregiver and Healthcare Professional Experience. You can find further information here.

Programme highlights

The programme for myeloma and AL amyloidosis this year is extensive and rich, with a range of research focusing on the science underlying myeloma and on the anti-myeloma effect of existing and new medicines. Given the extensive programme, it is difficult to select every highlight, but MPE anticipates the following myeloma and AL amyloidosis data will be of interest:

Results of iStopMM, the largest ever screening programme conducted in Iceland, will be presented at the Meeting in two oral presentations. The population of Iceland (over the age of 40) was screened for the presence of MGUS and myeloma.

• The Early Benefits and Psychological Effects of Screening for Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance: Results of the IStopMM Study. Click here for details. Saturday, December 9, 2023: 2:45 PM (GMT-8).
• Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance and the Risk of Thrombotic Events: Results from IStopMM, a Population-Based Screening Study in Iceland. Click here for details. Saturday, December 9, 2023: 3:15 PM (GMT-8).

A late-breaking oral abstract, presented by Prof Sonneveld on the results of the Perseus trial further exploring the role of daratumumab based combinations, consolidation and maintenance in the newly diagnosed setting for transplant eligible patients:

• Phase 3 Randomized Study of Daratumumab (DARA) + Bortezomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone (VRd) Versus Vrd Alone in Patients (Pts) with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (NDMM) Who Are Eligible for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT): Primary Results of the Perseus Trial. Click here for details. Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 9:00 AM-10:30 AM (GMT-8).

There are a range of sessions on MRD at the congress. MRD is a very sensitive way of testing response to treatment in myeloma. Interesting for patients is the potential of MRD testing in peripheral blood, instead of invasive bone marrow testing.

• Minimally Invasive Assessment of Measurable Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma. Click here for details. Saturday, December 9, 2023: 4:30 PM (GMT-8).

There are oral presentations on cereblon E3 ligase modulatory drugs (CELMoDs). These have been discussed a lot in the myeloma community and we are now seeing the results from ongoing clinical trials.

• Iberdomide Maintenance after Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed MM: First Results of the Phase 2 EMN26 Study. Click here for details. Saturday, December 9, 2023: 2:45 PM (GMT-8).
• Mezigdomide (MEZI) Plus Dexamethasone (DEX) and Daratumumab (DARA) or Elotuzumab (ELO) in Patients (pts) with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM): Results from the CC-92480-MM-002 Trial. Click here for details. Monday, December 11, 2023: 5:30 PM (GMT-8).

Further results of a UK trial looking at treatment for high-risk myeloma patients will be presented. The treatment of, and improving outcomes for, high-risk myeloma patients is a huge area of unmet need in myeloma. Partially sponsored by MPE member, Myeloma UK, the results of the OPTIMUM/MUK Nine trial look at a specific group of high-risk patients who relapsed early in the trial.

• Ultra High-Risk Multiple Myeloma Patients with Multi-Hit Tumours and SKY92 High Risk Signature Are at Increased Risk of Early Relapse Even When Treated with Extended Intensified Induction and Consolidation – Results from the Optimum/MUKNine Trial. Click here for details. Monday, December 11, 2023: 3:45 PM (GMT-8).

The ASH congress will also see a range of oral and poster presentations exploring the role of CAR-T and bispecific antibodies in the treatment of myeloma. As well as efficacy results from trials, a key area of interest for the patient community is understanding infection risk associated with the bispecific antibodies and how this can be managed. On this topic, an abstract of note is the following oral presentation:

• Efficacy and Safety of Less Frequent/Lower Intensity Dosing of Talquetamab in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Results from the Phase 1/2 MonumenTAL-1 Study. Click here for details. Monday, December 11, 2023: 4:45 PM (GMT-8).

There are several important AL amyloidosis abstracts being presented at the ASH meeting this year exploring new treatment approaches in the disease. Of particular interest is one of the first clinical trials looking at the role of CAR-T in relapsed and refractory AL amyloidosis.

• Efficacy and Safety of Daratumumab Monotherapy in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Stage 3B Light-Chain Amyloidosis: A Phase 2 Study By the European Myeloma Network. Click here for details. Sunday, December 10, 2023: 1:00 PM (GMT-8).
• Feasibility of a Novel Academic Anti-BCMA Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell (CART) (HBI0101) for the Treatment of Relapsed and Refractory AL Amyloidosis. Click here for details. Sunday, December 10, 2023: 12:45 PM (GMT-8).