Dr. Shah on the Role of Venetoclax in Multiple Myeloma

Nina Shah, MD, associate professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the role of venetoclax (Venclexta) in multiple myeloma.

At the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting, the subset analysis of patients with t(11;14) or BCL-2—high myeloma was presented from the BELLINI trial. The phase III study, which randomized patients to venetoclax, bortezomib (Velcade), and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone alone, was stopped early due to safety concerns in the overall population.

However, the subset analysis showed that the overall survival of patients with t(11;14) or high BCL-2 expression was not negatively affected with venetoclax. Rather, these patients experienced a significant improvement in progression-free survival with the BCL-2 inhibitor, says Shah.

Though the analysis did not have the power to detect these differences, it provides evidence that patients with relapsed myeloma who harbor t(11;14) could benefit from venetoclax, concludes Shah.