Daratumumab quadruplet indication expanded to include transplant-ineligible MM
Daratumumab, combined with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (Dara-VRd), was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), based on CEPHEUS findings. A post hoc analysis of CEPHEUS presented at the 2025 IMS Annual Meeting established the safety and efficacy of Dara-VRd in this setting, regardless of frailty status. Dara-VRd was approved in 2024 in the transplant-eligible NDMM setting, based on the PERSEUS study.

FDA issues Fast Track Designation to new investigational T-cell redirecting therapies
The US FDA issued Fast Track Designation to two new investigational T-cell redirecting therapies—LBL-034, a bispecific T-cell engager targeting GPRC5D and CD3, and IBI3003, a trispecific antibody that targets GPRC5D, BCMA, and CD3.

Report outlines practical strategies for implementing IMS-IMWG high-risk criteria
IMS Board Member Suzanne Lentzsch and co-author Michael S. Hughes review the contemporary landscape of NDMM risk stratification in a report published in Expert Review of Hematology. They advocate for adoption of the IMS-IMWG high-risk definition published in 2025 and offer potential solutions to address barriers/challenges around the adoption of these criteria.

Systematic review highlights need for standardized definition of transplant eligibility
A systematic review of four prospective and 21 retrospective studies found that MM studies use a wide variety of instruments to determine transplant eligibility. These findings, published in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology, underscore the need for standardized criteria for evaluating and interpreting frailty, functional status, and comorbidity in MM transplant care.

Minimally invasive monitoring of infection risk-associated immune biomarkers
Risk of infections and infection-related non-relapse mortality are significant concerns in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma receiving T-cell redirecting therapies. Per findings reported in Blood, immune profiling of bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from patients with myeloma can help identify immune biomarkers associated with infection incidence.

Natural language processing workflows may aid extraction of real-world MM data
In a BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making article in press, researchers describe the use of natural language processing (NLP) models in workflows to extract clinical information from electronic health records (EHR) notes of over 3700 myeloma patients. The authors posit that carefully selected NLP tools can help leverage EHR to generate real-world data.

MM among cancers rising in incidence among adolescents and young adults
While cancer in general, and MM especially, is predominantly a disease impacting older adults, recent epidemiological trends suggest increasing incidence of breast and certain other cancers in people younger than 50. An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease 2021 dataset, published in the International Journal of Surgery, identified MM as one of the cancers with the fastest-rising incidence rates globally in adolescents and young adults (aged 10–24 years).