Treatment Duration in Multiple Myeloma

Jill Burke, NP, and Tanika Pittman, APRN, discuss how patients with multiple myeloma should be counseled about treatment duration as frontline therapies produce increasingly deep and sustained responses. Jill explains that treatment expectations are addressed from the time of consent, emphasizing that patients should understand the anticipated duration of therapy and that treatment plans may evolve as evidence emerges. Tanika frames multiple myeloma as a disease generally managed through ongoing treatment and follow-up, noting that feeling well does not necessarily mean therapy is no longer needed; rather, maintaining that well-being is one of the goals of continued disease control. The faculty use the treatment sequence illustrated by PERSEUS—including induction, transplant, consolidation, and maintenance—to reinforce how therapy can change over time. They also discuss how selected patients who achieved deep responses and sustained MRD negativity in the study were able to discontinue daratumumab after a defined period of maintenance, highlighting the importance of individualized treatment planning. Overall, the discussion emphasizes that treatment duration in multiple myeloma is not necessarily one-size-fits-all and should be considered in the context of response, ongoing disease control, treatment burden, and the evolving evidence base.