Multiple myeloma is a rare bone marrow cancer (5,500 new cases/year in France) that mainly affects older patients (the average age at diagnosis is 70 years) and whose current treatments do not allow a cure but a more or less prolonged remission.
The I-Dara protocol is a non-comparative study involving frail elderly patients (80 years or older, or with significant comorbidities) experiencing a relapse. The treatment consisted of a combination of immunotherapy and high-dose oral therapy without corticosteroids, resulting in better treatment tolerance. In some patients, treatment was extended for up to 5 years with good efficacy.
With 55 patients included, the average duration of remission is 18 months and 3 out of 4 patients are still alive more than 2 years later.
This work has been the subject of several presentations. The study has just been completed and will be published.
A study carried out by teams from the Hematology Institute of Lower Normandy with the support of the research and innovation department.
