Current research into myeloma

In Leeds, Professor Gordon Cook is running several clinical trials to improve treatment for patients with myeloma, a type of blood cancer. He is currently leading the UKMRA Myeloma XII (ACCoRD) study. It’s looking at the benefits of adding a drug called ixazomib to stem cell transplants for people with myeloma whose disease has returned.

The International Myeloma Working Group has developed a ‘patient frailty score’. It could help doctors predict how well older people with myeloma will tolerate treatment – and if it will work. Professor Graham Jackson in Newcastle and Professor Gordon Cook in Leeds are using this score as part of a clinical trial that includes older patients. It’s testing if a combination of two new myeloma drugs will improve treatment for all myeloma patients, both young and old.

Professor Kwee Yong is leading a multi-stage clinical trial for people with newly diagnosed myeloma. In the trial, the intensity and duration of the treatment are adjusted depending on the person’s risk factors, and later adapted according to how well they respond to the treatment. The results of the trial will then be used to design better treatment protocols, in a personalised manner.