Dr. Kumar on the Rationale for the ENDURANCE Trial in Multiple Myeloma

Shaji K. Kumar, MD, professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic, discusses the rationale for conducting the phase 3 ENDURANCE trial in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

At the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program, findings from the ENDURANCE study revealed similar rates of progression-free survival and overall survival with bortezomib (Velcade), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (VRd) compared with carfilzomib (Kyprolis), lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd).

The study was designed to evaluate whether carfilzomib could replace bortezomib in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, says Kumar.

The rationale stemmed from the fact that both regimens had shown benefit in the newly diagnosed setting, says Kumar. For example, the phase 3 SWOG S0777 study demonstrated an improvement in survival with VRd versus Rd alone in this patient population, explains Kumar. These results led VRd to become the standard of care for patients.

However, findings from a phase 2 study (NCT01402284) had also shown that KRd was highly effective in the newly diagnosed setting, concludes Kumar.