Alliance E-News - March 2026
Spotlight on Multiple Myeloma
Alliance Spotlights New Advances and Active Clinical Trials During Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month
March 23, 2026 - During Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and the Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT) are spotlighting several innovative research studies designed to improve treatment and long-term outcomes for people diagnosed with this rare blood cancer.
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that forms in plasma cells, an important part of the immune system found in the bone marrow. As these cancerous plasma cells multiply, they crowd out healthy blood-forming cells and can lead to complications such as bone damage, anemia, kidney problems, and weakened immunity.
Multiple myeloma is considered a relatively rare cancer in the United States, with about 36,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Thanks to advances in treatments, survival has improved, and about 64% of people with multiple myeloma now live at least five years after diagnosis. An estimated 192,000 Americans are currently living with the disease.
While some individuals may not experience symptoms early on, potential warning signs can include bone problems such as persistent bone pain, bone weakness or easily broken bones. Low blood counts from the disease can also lead to symptoms such as anemia-related fatigue, inability to fight infections, and excessive bleeding from minor injuries.
The Alliance and AFT are leading several trials focused on improving therapies and outcomes for people living with multiple myeloma.
Multiple Myeloma Trials
A062101: Testing the combination of two approved drugs and one experimental drug in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
Monique Hartley-Brown, MD, MMSc, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, leads this phase I/II trial testing iberdomide in combination with belantamab mafodotin and dexamethasone. The trial is open to people whose multiple myeloma has come back after treatment or did not respond to initial therapy.
Multiple myeloma cells have a protein on their surface called B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) that allows cancer cells to survive and grow. Immunotherapy with iberdomide may induce changes in the body's immune system, interfering with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Belantamab mafodotin has been designed to attach to the BCMA protein, which may cause the myeloma cell to become damaged and die. Dexamethasone is in a class of medications called corticosteroids that help lessen the side effects of chemotherapy.
A062102: Randomized phase II study of iberdomide maintenance therapy following idecabtagene vicleucel CAR-T in multiple myeloma patients
Sascha Tuchman, MD, of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, leads this phase II trial compares immunotherapy maintenance therapy to disease monitoring in patients who have received idecabtagene vicleucel (a type of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell or CAR-T therapy) for multiple myeloma.
The usual approach after CAR-T therapy monitoring the disease without giving additional treatment. Iberdomide, when administered, modifies the immune system by activating immune cells called T-cells, which could enhance the effectiveness of the CAR-T therapy. The hope is that iberdomide may keep multiple myeloma under control longer than the usual approach of disease monitoring.
AFT-41: Study of lenalidomide/ixazomib/dexamethasone/daratumumab in transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
Led by Andrew Yee, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, leads this randomized phase II clinical trial to assess the progression-free survival impact when the targeted medications ixazomib and daratumumab are added lenalidomide as a maintenance treatment following lenalidomide, ixazomib, dexamethasone and daratumumab.
Ixazomib is an oral cancer medication that interrupts the growth of cancer cells while daratumumab is a type of immunotherapy that enlists the body’s own immune cells to attach the myeloma cells. Lenalidomide is used to treat anemia as many patients with multiple myeloma have low blood red cells from the disease.
Ongoing Clinical Trials Open to People with Multiple Myeloma
Alliance A222302: Distance-based exercise to preserve function and prevent disability (DEFEND)
Led by Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Jennifer Ligibel, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, this study is evaluating the feasibility of delivering a structured exercise program entirely through telehealth for patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy, including people with multiple myeloma.
The trial will assess if virtual exercise sessions, consisting of supervised resistance and aerobic exercise training, can successfully be delivered to patients during treatment. The study will also explore whether the exercise program can help patients maintain physical function, reduce fatigue, and prevent disability during treatment.
AFT A232403: Longitudinal screening for financial hardship to improve outcomes in patients with advanced cancer (PROOF)
Victoria Blinder, MD, MSc, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, leads this study to determine if monthly remote digital financial hardship screening among adults with advanced cancer, including multiple myeloma, helps improve survival outcomes.
Financial hardship is a common problem affecting patients, often leading to poor outcomes related to financial worry, health related quality of life, symptom burden, treatment adherence and overall survival. This trial will use a screening intervention to see if connecting patients to financial navigation resources leads to improved health outcomes.
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The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is a national leader in advancing cancer research, uniting more than 25,000 cancer specialists at 115 main institutions and 1,400 affiliates across the U.S. and Canada. As part of the National Clinical Trials Network and a leading research base for the NCI Community Oncology Research Program, the Alliance conducts pioneering, practice-changing clinical trials that improve outcomes and reshape standards of care. Its work has led to multiple FDA approvals, influenced national guidelines, and produced hundreds of high-impact publications. More than 40,000 participants have taken part in Alliance studies, and its growing biospecimen repository now includes more than 1.5 million samples, collected over the past 30 years. Learn more at www.AllianceforClinicalTrialsinOncology.org.
