Immunotherapy combinations are just beginning. At the ASH 2015 conference Dr. David Avigan, MD of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shared his work to use a vaccine with an additional immunotherapy (a PD-1 blocker) and autologous transplant to make the transplant more durable and eliminate minimal residual disease. Learn more about this dendritic cell vaccine, how it works and why the road to immunotherapy will leverage the best available treatments for the best ultimate outcomes.  Thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology.

Some treatments for multiple myeloma have been used for over two decades. With all of excitement around new treatments like immunotherapies, how do these two different worlds converge or collide? Learn from Dr. Muzaffar Qazilbash, MD of the MD Anderson Cancer Center about the utility of stem cell transplant in the age of immunotherapy and how these may be used alone or together for optimal outcomes.   Special thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology

Multiple myeloma is typically tracked by measuring the M-protein, also called the "M-spike." But in some patients, the M-protein gets lost, making it difficult if not impossible to detect myeloma levels without a bone marrow biopsy. Dr. James R. Berenson, MD of the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research has been working on a new test (assay) and has found direct correllations between levels of BCMA and the M-spike. He also has identified new clues that BCMA levels can provide related to outcomes within specific patient populations. Learn more in this show about a new and potentially easier way to detect myeloma, which would be incredibly valuable for the non-secretor.  Special thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology.

The advances found for multiple myeloma over the past two decades have been extroardinary. Much has been learned, and much has been accomplished with new treatment developments and arguably more discoveries than other cancers in the same time period. The past is impressive for this complex cancer, but there is more work to do. Dr. Ken Anderson helped lead the way for the discovery of new developments over a prestigious career of 40 years. He shares with us a brief look back and what he sees for the road ahead towards a cure. Dr. Anderson is the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School as well as Director of the Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is a Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Research Scientist and American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor. After graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School, he trained in internal medicine at John’s Hopkins Hospital, and then completed hematology, medical oncology, and tumor immunology training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over the last three decades, he has focused his laboratory and clinical research studies on multiple myeloma. He has developed laboratory and animal models of the tumor in it is microenvironment which have allowed for both identification of novel targets and validation of novel targeted therapies, and has then rapidly translated these studies to clinical trials culminating in FDA approval of novel targeted therapies. His paradigm for identifying and validating targets in the tumor cell and its milieu has transformed myeloma therapy and markedly improved patient outcome.  Thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology

JSK is the first in its class with a new and unique method of killing multiple myeloma. It has a broad-spectrum anti-cancer activity, especially for myeloma and AML (acute myeloid leukemia) but is not toxic for normal cells. The JSK product is running through the standard approval process and is now in an advanced stage of pre-clinical development. Orphan drug designation has been obtained for myeloma and toxicology studies are now in the planning stages. JSK is active against drug-resistant myeloma cells and could be use with bortezomib to treat multiple myeloma. Dr. Paul Shami, MD of the Huntsman Cancer Institute joins us to describe the develoment and use of this new treatment now in development. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology.

What happened at this year's American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando Florida? With three new drugs approved just before the start of the conference, there is so much to understand and absorb. Listen to Dr. Orlowski, MD, PhD of the MD Anderson Cancer Center give a simple explanation of the improvements in myeloma and some of his top takeaways in myeloma research.  Special thanks to our episode sponsor, Amgen.

New developments for multiple myeloma are happening at an ever increasing pace. Dr. Ola Landgren is Chief of the Myeloma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and heavily involved in the direction of myeloma research, both nationally and internationally. In this show he will give a wrap up of the recent Rome International Myeloma Working Group meeting as well as an ASH preview (for the upcoming December conference). He will also share up and coming clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to incorporate these new treatments into clinical practice. Learn what new drugs will be available and how they can be used in the myeloma clinic.

Treatment for multiple myeloma is all about the combinations. Recently we've been hearing about the "BIRD" combinations. What are they and how effective are they? Learn from Dr. Tomer Mark, MD, MSc from Weill Cornell Medical Center about this new combination and what it means for myeloma patients.

With the explosion in immunotherapies for multiple myeloma, we have heard there are "windows" of best and most effective use. What are those windows and when is the best time to use these new approaches? The field is ever growing and Dr. Djordje Atanackovic will share how and when to use these new tools for a myeloma patient's best care.  Thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology

The University of Pennsylvania had tremendous results with a recent clinical trial using a CAR T cell treatment targeting CD19 for a myeloma patient. The results were so impressive that some wonder if they have been able to eliminate the myeloma stem cell clone for one patient who had relapsed 9 therapies and had a high-risk genetic feature. Learn more about this success and where UPENN is going next using CAR therapy with Dr. Adam Cohen, MD, Director of Myeloma Immunotherapy at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine at UPENN. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Amgen.