IMS-IMWG high-risk myeloma criteria validated in contemporary cohort
Consensus Genomic Staging (CGS) criteria for identifying high-risk multiple myeloma (HRMM) were developed by the IMS in collaboration with the International Myeloma Working Group. An analysis that included over 1200 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) showed that patients with CGS-defined HRMM had inferior survival outcomes, despite receiving modern triplet/quadruplet-based regimens. The report, published in Hemasphere, also identified patients with ultra-HRMM, who had  ≥2 high-risk features and a threefold increased risk of death, compared to standard-risk patients.

SKY92 gene-expression signature helps identify high-risk myeloma
In a study conducted in Ireland, around a quarter of patients with transplant-eligible NDMM were classified as having high-risk disease, based on their SKY92 gene-expression signature. The cell division-associated NUF2 oncogene, located on the 1q23 region often amplified in myeloma cells, was associated with high-risk disease, and potentially, inferior outcomes, per the article published in the European Journal of Haematology.

Updated long-term data continue to support efficacy of bispecifics in RRMM
Bispecific antibodies (bsAbs)/T-cell engagers targeting BCMA and GPRC5D are approved in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) indications. Updated longer follow-up findings support the efficacy of bsAbs in RRMM, including three-year data from the MonumenTAL-1 trial of talquetamab reported in Blood and the 28.4-month data for elranatamab from MagnetisMM-3, published in Hemasphere. Also, patients with RRMM who responded to linvoseltamab treatment in LINKER-MM1 reported improvements in health-related quality-of-life measures, per a report in Blood Neoplasia.

Monitoring iron status is key in recipients of daratumumab-based treatments
Anemia is both a common symptom of hematologic malignancies and a prevalent adverse effect associated with anti-myeloma treatments. A retrospective case-control study published in the British Journal of Haematology reported a signal for iron deficiency, a leading cause of anemia, among patients with NDMM who received daratumumab-based treatments. All daratumumab recipients had iron deficiency at one year, indicated by decreased ferritin, compared with baseline.

Real-world data shed light on optimal sequencing of bsAb therapies
The optimal approach to sequencing T-cell redirecting therapies for patients with relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) is an area of active investigation. According to a small retrospective study, published in Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia, BCMA-directed bsAbs demonstrated efficacy in patients with disease progression following treatment with GPRC5D-targeting bsAbs. The overall response rate was 58%, and the median overall survival was 15.9 months.

3D biomimetic microgel platform may help recapitulate MM microenvironment 
Model systems reflecting the complex bone marrow microenvironment of MM can facilitate drug discovery and characterization of MM biology and therapeutic resistance. A study published in Materials Today: Bio describes the development and validation of a three-dimensional culture platform that supports clustering and proliferation of atypical plasma cells, including MM cells lines and patient-derived mononuclear cells.