Medical Oncology

University of Washington

University of Washington tumor board

Questions discussed in this category

Would you offer live vaccines (e.g., MMRV/measles) to patients on bispecific antibodies for multiple myeloma?

This comes up from time to time, but especially in 2025 with the multistate outbreaks and the rising adoption of bispecific antibodies (e.g., teclista...

2 Answers available

How do you approach pelvic radiation therapy for a patient with multiple myeloma who needs more intensive therapy (e.g., Dara-KRd or impending CAR-T) with a risk of cytopenias?

For example, a large iliac or sacral plasmacytoma causing symptoms. Both medical oncologists and radiation oncologists get nervous about RT-related cy...

2 Answers available

For a patient with a metastatic solid tumor in remission on a checkpoint inhibitor who also has R/R multiple myeloma, would you feel comfortable with a bispecific T-cell engager antibody?

This is rare but I've seen it twice last year! One with melanoma on nivolumab and one with lung cancer on pembrolizumab (both cases in deep remission)...

1 Answer available

How are you dosing IVIG following BCMA CAR-T or bispecific antibodies in multiple myeloma?

Do you only offer it for patients with a documented IgG < 400? Do you check the IgG at all, or are you doing primary prophylaxis?

1 Answer available

How would you approach dose modifications and/or frequency of lenalidomide in patients with advanced renal impairment (eGFR <30)?

The FDA package insert suggests 2.5 mg daily in these settings, while the PrE1003 study demonstrated that a higher dose is feasible. Many oncologists ...

2 Answers available

In what scenarios (if ever) would you check peripheral blood flow cytometry in a patient with known multiple myeloma to evaluate for circulating plasma cells (CPCs) in the absence of an abnormal smear?

There are some retrospective data that CPCs are associated with worsened outcomes after transplantation. Anecdotally, CPCs could be collected as part ...

1 Answer available

In 2024, do you consider isolated gain(1q) [not amp(1q)] to be a high-risk cytogenetic abnormality in multiple myeloma?

Most would argue that gain(1q) in combination with another high-risk feature constitutes ultra-high-risk multiple myeloma, and most would argue (with ...

1 Answer available

Is there any value to getting a bone marrow biopsy at the time of biochemical relapse in multiple myeloma before switching to a new line of therapy?

For many clinical trials, a screening bone marrow biopsy is necessary to get a new baseline. Do you do the same in real-world practice?

3 Answers available

Do you resume zoledronic acid or denosumab at relapse in multiple myeloma?

Previous questions have focused on the newly diagnosed setting and choice of bisphosphonate versus denosumab. IMWG guidelines do recommend resuming zo...

2 Answers available

For patients on commercial teclistamab who achieve a response, are there patient-specific or response-specific parameters that would prompt you to de-escalate therapy from once per week?

For example - minimum number of months of therapy, driving distance to clinic, at least a CR with or without MRD negativity?

3 Answers available

For a Jehovah's Witness patient with multiple myeloma, could you safely offer a BCMA-directed bispecific antibody or CAR-T therapy?

Please assume that IVIG is fine (as it is for many Jehovah's Witness patients, since IgG is often not considered a blood product per se).

2 Answers available

How extensive of a workup do you do for systemic AL amyloidosis for a patient with a resected amyloidoma, localized AL amyloid deposition in their airway or lungs, who has no other symptoms?

Would you do a 24-hour urine and echocardiogram in all of these patients? Cardiac biomarkers, PT/PTT, or any other such blood tests?

3 Answers available

For a patient with triple-class-refractory myeloma and cytopenias who has been collected for CAR-T, would you choose aggressive chemotherapy or a bispecific antibody for bridging?

This question seems quite specific but happens quite often. Multi-drug chemotherapy runs the risk of profound cytopenias and infections, while bispeci...

2 Answers available

For patients who require aggressive debulking in multiple myeloma, what is your preferred chemotherapy regimen and why?

Modified HyperCVAD? V(R)D-PACE? DCEP? Are there any data to favor one over the other?

2 Answers available

How do you approach post-transplant maintenance for patients with high-risk myeloma?

Which PI and at what dosing intervals? Dexamethasone or not? Emory has now published data with VRd consolidation as well as KPd consolidation, while ...

2 Answers available

Is there still a role for plasma exchange/PLEX for confirmed or suspected cast nephropathy in multiple myeloma to rapidly reduce light chain burden?

In addition to reversing hypercalcemia, initiating myeloma therapy, etc.

1 Answer available

For patients with IgG kappa multiple myeloma receiving an IgG kappa mAb (i.e., daratumumab), how important is it clinically to use an interference assay if they're in a VGPR to see if their M-spike might actually be 0?

For example, would you use a tool like the Hydrashift assay? Would this change your management?

1 Answer available

When you use selinexor for relapsed/refractory myeloma, with what total weekly dose do you practically start?

If tolerated through Cycle #1, how aggressively do you try to titrate the selinexor dose up toward 100mg weekly or 80mg twice-weekly? And does your a...

1 Answer available

If you treat a patient with high-risk smoldering myeloma on trial and they develop biochemical progression by M-spike, but still no CRAB-SLiM criteria, what would you do next?

In this case, the patient had received daratumumab/lenalidomide/dexamethasone as part of a cooperative group trial. Would you say that the patient had...

1 Answer available

What induction regimen would you choose for a patient with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma with incidental amyloidosis noted on bone marrow biopsy, but with no end-organ damage as a result of amyloid deposition?

Would you consider Dara-CyBorD or a MM triplet/quadruplet such as VRd or Dara-VRd?

4 Answers available