Dr Prem Mahendra MD, FRCP, FRCPath
Consultant Haemato-Oncologist
admin 
Myeloma – the phase 3 PERSEUS trial from the European Myeloma Network randomised approximately 700 newly diagnosed patients with myeloma to treatment with dartumumab, velcade, revlimid and dexamethasone (D-VRD) or VRD followed by an autologous stem cell transplantation, 2 cycles of consolidation with D-VRD or VRD followed by maintenance treatment with dara-revlimid or revlimid alone. … Read more
Bispecific T-cell engagers are a new and innovative treatment for myeloma. Two bispecific antibodies Teclistamab and Talquetamab have been approved by the EMA for the treatment of myeloma. In October 2023 we treated our first myeloma patient with Teclistamab. She is tolerating the treatment extremely well.
In July 2023 the EMA approved Glofitamab, one of the most potent single drugs available for the treatment of relapsed/refractory DLBCL. Glofitamab is a CD20xCD3 bispecific T-cell engager. In a Phase 2 trial of 108 relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients who received glofitamab for a fixed duration an overall response was seen in 50% and a complete … Read more
For older non-transplant eligible patients’ initial treatment options are VR-CAP (bortezomib, rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and prednisolone based on the LYM 3002 phase 3 trial of VR-CAP vs R-CHOP which showed a longer survival for patients treated with VR-CAP; or bendamustine and rituximab followed by rituximab maintenance. The TRIANGLE study has demonstrated the benefit of adding … Read more
For over 30-years autologous stem cell transplantation has been the standard of care for patients with relapsed diffuse-large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The international Zuma-7 trial randomised 359 patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL or patients with DLBCL who had relapsed within 12-months of their initial therapy to a novel T-cell immunotherapy called CAR-T (chimeric receptor antigen -T-cell … Read more
For decades the standard treatment for patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma has been combination chemotherapy with either ABVD or escalated BEACOPP. Approximately 5 years ago a randomised trial showed that brentuximab vedotin (an antibody conjugate) combined with AVD compared with ABVD improved overall survival in adults with Hodgkin lymphoma. The results of the recent SWOG … Read more
Whilst access to CAR-T therapy is only available by entry into clinical trials in the UK currently, recent results of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (also known as cilta-cel and Carvykit) has been shown to be “remarkably effective” in the treatment of myeloma. The results presented at the ASCO meeting and published in the New England Journal of … Read more