As a leader in treating hematological malignancies, City of Hope has one of the highest volumes of multiple myeloma patients in Southern California. Our Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research is the only Southern California member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, a partnership of some 22 facilities across the country dedicated to rapidly bringing the most promising new treatments to patients.
As one of seven centers comprising City of Hope's Hematological Malignancies Research Institute, we utilize a comprehensive approach to myeloma treatment — by a multidisciplinary team whose sole focus is treating this type of cancer.
This multidisciplinary approach, combined with our leadership in multiple myeloma research, technological innovation, and robust transplant and patient support programs has led to City of Hope’s median survival for multiple myeloma significantly exceeding SEER National and SEER LA survival overall and across all age groups* (<60, 60-70, >70 years).
*Data were derived from the City of Hope Cancer Registry (CNeXT) and SEER November 2018 Disease Specific Files as the comparator. All patients were diagnosed from 2006 through 2015, and the City of Hope follow-up cutoff date was 12/31/2016, to align with SEER data. Unadjusted overall survival estimates for multiple myeloma patients (nontransplanted patients and all City of Hope patients, including transplanted and nontransplanted) were reported.
Survival Rate Is More Than Double the Los Angeles Average (all ages)
Survival Over 120% Greater Than National Average (all ages)
When the survival probabilities for City of Hope multiple myeloma patients at three different age groups (<60, 60-<70 and ≥70 years of age), as well as overall data were compared to the SEER* National data at three- and five-years postdiagnosis, the percent difference was ≥14% at all age groups. Similarly, this same data set compared against SEER LA data at similar timepoints showed a percent difference ≥18% at all age groups.
The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program
An authoritative source on cancer incidence and survival, the SEER Program provides cancer statistics to reduce the cancer burden among the U.S. population. It is supported by the Surveillance Research Program, which provides national leadership in cancer surveillance using analytical tools and methodological expertise in collecting, analyzing, interpreting and disseminating reliable population-based statistics.
You can find more information in our full Multiple Myeloma Outcomes Report .
Expertly Transforming the Future of Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Amrita Krishnan, M.D., Division Chief
Hematologist Oncologist
- Professor and Chief, Division of Multiple Myeloma, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
- Director, Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research
- Director, Multiple Myeloma Program
A key member of the City of Hope team since 1996, Amrita Krishnan, M.D., directs the Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at City of Hope, seeking to make gains in one of the most rapidly changing areas in cancer research. Dr. Krishnan serves as a steering committee member on the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the North American representative to the International Myeloma Society, is the former chair of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network myeloma committee and is the co-chair of several of the largest myeloma transplant trials in the U.S.
Innovative Research Drives Results
City of Hope is always conducting groundbreaking clinical trials that look to advance the field of multiple myeloma treatment. Armed with a $4 million, multiyear R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute, we are now exploring the use of a 23-year-old rheumatoid arthritis drug, leflunomide, as a treatment for smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), an early precursor to multiple myeloma. Research has already shown that leflunomide may help multiple myeloma patients by blocking enzymes needed for cell growth. Now, investigators want to see if leflunomide can also slow the precursor — delaying the progression of SMM into active myeloma, or even stopping it entirely.
“Leflunomide has a long safety record,” said multiple myeloma expert Michael Rosenzweig, M.D., M.S., a co-principal investigator. “It’s been well-tested, it’s essentially nontoxic and well tolerated. Plus it’s much more affordable than any other multiple myeloma treatment.”
Given that SMM is twice as common in African Americans and has double the mortality rate among this population, conducting a thorough and diverse clinical trial is of utmost importance, and this is exactly what City of Hope plans to do.
“We’re going beyond statistical comparisons,” explained Kimlin Tam Ashing, Ph.D. “We’ll look at participants’ neighborhoods, their social structure, their experiences of discrimination, their ancestry” (a component to be handled by City of Hope’s ancestry expert, Rick Kittles, Ph.D., M.S.). “We’re going to examine the whole person. We want to understand people, including their response to treatment, beyond their diagnosis.”
In addition, City of Hope is also reporting promising results from a Phase 1 study conducted by Krishnan exploring the use of Talquetamab as an investigational therapy for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma. Talquetemab is a first-in-class bispecific IgG4 antibody that redirects T cells to kill multiple myeloma cells by binding to both GPRC5D and CD3 receptors. The findings indicate that Talquetamab is well tolerated and highly effective at the recommended Phase 2 doses.
These trials and more are crucial to City of Hope’s success in achieving superior outcomes in myeloma treatment. By integrating the newest advances into our existing treatment paradigms, we are always confident that we are delivering the best possible care to our patients.
To enroll a patient to a clinical trial, please call 626-218-1133 or visit /research/find-a-clinical-trial for additional information about clinical trials at City of Hope.