Plain language summary of publication of how long people with relapsed multiple myeloma lived after treatment in the IKEMA study: Isatuximab plus carfilzomib and dexamethasone versus carfilzomib and dexamethasone

Plain Language SummaryWhat is this summary about?This is a summary of a publication about the IKEMA clinical trial that was published in The Lancet Haematology in July 2024. The trial tested if a combination of cancer drugs (isatuximab plus carfilzomib and dexamethasone, or Isa-Kd for short) would help people with relapsed (when cancer returns after a period of improvement following treatment) or refractory (when cancer stops responding to treatment) multiple myeloma live longer. Isa-Kd was compared with a combination of carfilzomib and dexamethasone (or Kd for short) in this study. The IKEMA trial included participants who had been treated for their multiple myeloma before with other cancer medicines.How was the study in this summary conducted?This study included a total of 302 participants; 179 received Isa-Kd and 123 received Kd. The researchers measured overall survival, which is the total amount of time people lived during the study regardless of whether they died of cancer or from other causes. The researchers also measured how long people lived before their cancer got worse, once they stopped taking the IKEMA study treatments and started taking a new multiple myeloma treatment. The adverse events in participants who received at least 1 treatment were also measured.What are the key takeaways?People with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma at study entry who received Isa-Kd continued to benefit from therapy after about 4.5 years of monitoring. People who received Isa-Kd were predicted to live about 13 months longer than people who received Kd, although the researchers could not rule out that the benefit was due to chance. People who received Isa-Kd also lived longer before their cancer got worse, once they started taking their next multiple myeloma treatment. Isa-Kd did not show any new safety concerns compared with previous studies.Clinical trial number: NCT03275285