Expert Interviews

Panelists emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, patient education, and advocacy in managing multiple myeloma while expressing optimism about emerging therapies like CAR T cells that offer deeper remissions and improved quality of life.

Panelists highlight advances in myeloma treatment, focusing on innovative T cell therapies like CAR T and T-cell engagers, along with potent new CELMoD drugs, all offering more targeted and effective options for patients.

Panelists discuss City of Hope’s collaborative partnership with community physicians, emphasizing expert evaluation at specialized centers while enabling ongoing treatment closer to home for convenience, coordinating common therapies like Daratumumab locally, reserving complex procedures such as stem cell transplants and clinical trials for specialized centers, and aiming to balance high-quality care with patient accessibility through integrated, personalized, and coordinated management across care settings.

Survivorship expert Michelle Kirschner, MSN, RN, ACNP, APRN-BC, says that “doable changes” can enhance the lives of patients surviving cancer.

Panelists discuss the importance of effective communication and multidisciplinary collaboration in managing immunotherapy toxicities and ensuring seamless patient care, while highlighting promising advances in melanoma treatment and the role of telehealth and community outreach in expanding access and improving outcomes.

Panelists discuss the complexities of managing metastatic melanoma with asymptomatic brain metastases in patients with good performance status, emphasizing challenges posed by treatment resistance and highlighting emerging therapies—such as genetically modified T cells, bispecific T-cell engagers, and intralesional oncolytic viruses—that aim to improve durable outcomes in advanced disease.

This is an actor portrayal of a hypothetical patient profile developed for educational purposes based on characteristics of patients with multiple myeloma as seen in clinical practice. The hypothetical case was co-developed by staff Medical Writers with Cancer Network/ONN.

Experienced oncology nurses and APPs can help nurses newer to the field understand who is more at risk of opioid addiction, says expert Ronald Bleday, MD.

Panelists discuss how proactive monitoring for ALK inhibitor adverse effects through regular lipid panels, liver function tests, and patient education about red flag symptoms such as bradycardia or cognitive changes enables early intervention and successful dose management.

Panelists discuss that talquetamab dose modifications are guided primarily by patient symptoms and adverse effects, with treatment pauses for significant toxicities or infections, while response monitoring relies on regular myeloma labs, imaging, and physical exams to ensure safety and efficacy.

Panelists discuss how talquetamab’s unique GPRC5D-related toxicities are managed proactively using International Myeloma Working Group guidelines, balancing outpatient delivery with vigilant monitoring and tailored cytokine release syndrome prophylaxis strategies.

Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, emphasized the importance of educating patients about proactive rash and diarrhea management while taking PI3K/AKT inhibitors.

Panelists discuss City of Hope’s multidisciplinary approach, highlighting pharmacists providing medication guidance, social workers offering emotional support, and palliative care specialists managing symptoms, while consultants such as cardiologists and infectious disease experts address specific health issues to ensure coordinated, personalized care; complementary therapies such as acupuncture and mindfulness help manage adverse effects like neuropathy, and support groups foster community and resilience among patients and caregivers throughout their myeloma journey.

Panelists share that despite initial emotional challenges, multiple myeloma treatment with targeted combination therapies was generally well tolerated, with manageable adverse effects—especially after adjusting dexamethasone—and strong health care team support, enabling patients to maintain quality of life and continue regular activities throughout therapy.

Establishing a routine early in treatment helps proactively manage adverse effects associated with CDK4/6 inhibitors, says Kimberly Podsada, BSN, RN, MSN, NP-C, CNS.

Panelists discuss the critical role of patient education and multidisciplinary coordination in managing immunotherapy side effects, emphasizing proactive symptom monitoring, timely communication, tailored support, and collaborative care led by the oncologist to ensure safe and effective toxicity management.

Panelists discuss the importance of vigilant, patient-centered monitoring for metastatic melanoma patients with high disease burden on immunotherapy, emphasizing clear communication about variable treatment responses, proactive symptom tracking, differentiation of true progression from pseudoprogression, and integration of clinical assessments with biomarkers like lactate dehydrogenase and circulating tumor DNA to guide optimal care.

Paolo Tarantino, MD, PhD, explains that the chemotherapy-related toxicities from an ADC are more likely to limit dosage for patients with cancer.

Panelists discuss how treatment selection between lorlatinib and alectinib for ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) should consider both efficacy data favoring lorlatinib and patient-specific factors such as neuropsychiatric history or cardiovascular comorbidities that might favor alectinib.

Panelists discuss how a 48-year-old fitness instructor with ALK-rearranged stage IV lung cancer and bone metastases was successfully treated with alectinib, experiencing manageable adverse effects while returning to modified teaching activities.

While CIML natural killer immunotherapy can result in infection-like reactions, required prior chemo may cause infections, shared Wenxin (Vincent) Xu, MD.

Panelists discuss updated safety findings from GPRC5D-targeted bispecific therapy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, highlighting manageable toxicity—including low infection rates and infrequent neurologic effects like ataxia—alongside sustained efficacy and durability, reinforcing its value as a well-tolerated option for patients ineligible for or resistant to BCMA-directed treatments.

Panelists discuss updated MonumenTAL-1 trial data demonstrating high response rates and prolonged survival with GPRC5D-targeted bispecific therapy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, emphasizing the favorable efficacy, durability, and tolerability of biweekly dosing, which supports improved patient quality of life and positions the therapy as a key option in managing advanced disease.

Panelists discuss how patient portal use improves communication by allowing patients to report adverse effects with photos for accurate evaluation, and how treatment effectiveness is monitored through carefully timed blood tests, imaging, and bone marrow biopsies—including minimal residual disease testing—to balance thorough assessment with minimizing patient discomfort.

Panelists discuss how patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma often face emotional and informational overload, but collaborative, personalized care—including early access to cutting-edge 4-drug regimens, clear communication, and shared decision-making—can empower them, ease anxiety, and support long-term remission and quality of life.

This is an actor portrayal of a hypothetical patient profile developed for educational purposes based on characteristics of patients with multiple myeloma as seen in clinical practice. The hypothetical case was co-developed by staff medical writers with Cancer Network/ONN.

Panelists discuss treatment considerations for metastatic melanoma with high tumor burden, highlighting the preference for immune checkpoint combinations like nivolumab with relatlimab for durable responses, insights from the RELATIVITY-020 trial supporting standard-dose relatlimab due to its safety and efficacy balance, and emerging LAG-3 agents such as fianlimab that may influence future therapeutic strategies.

Panelists discuss how managing amivantamab-related adverse events such as leg edema requires understanding of underlying mechanisms (hypoalbuminemia) and may benefit from albumin infusion, dose holds, or consultation with specialists for severe cases such as infected scalp wounds.