Latest AACR progress report on myeloma is a superpower of good news

Know how Superman gets his superpowers because of our yellow sun? Or how Popeye gets super-strength from just one can of spinach?

That’s sort of how I feel whenever I read good news about cancer. And there’s good news in this year’s Cancer Progress Report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). It says from 1991 to 2024, the overall cancer mortality rate in the U.S. declined by 35%, with more than 4.8 million cancer deaths averted during that time.

There are a few dozen mentions of multiple myeloma. The report cites a 2.5% decline in myeloma deaths from 2015 to 2024 and a huge jump in the five-year relative survival rate since the mid-1990s.

But it’s not just about the numbers. There are sections about prevention, screening, research, and new treatments. There are also interviews with cancer survivors and a section about improving cancer care, along with a call for continued cancer funding.

It’s a hefty report, and for the most part, I skimmed it, looking for myeloma news. Then I got to a Survivor Spotlight focused on smoldering multiple myeloma and a cancer researcher who became a clinical trial subject.

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Hope through clinical trials

I think of cancer researchers as heroes in white coats. But the people who step up to join clinical trials are heroes, too. It’s not always easy to step up to try something new. The American Cancer Society has a long list of things patients should consider before signing up.

Jeffrey Rubin, MD, PhD, went into his clinical trial with more understanding of the process than most patients. He used to work at the National Cancer Institute and was diagnosed with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (HR SMM), a precursor to myeloma. About 50% of HR SMM patients progress to myeloma within two years.

At the time, “watch and wait” was the standard for HR SMM. But Rubin’s doctor advised him to look for a clinical trial. In 2023, Rubin joined a trial of daratumumab, carfilzomib, and dexamethasone for HR SMM to see if treatment could delay or prevent the onset of myeloma.

Not all patients do well in clinical trials. Rubin did. You can read his story in the AACR report, or watch his interview on the AACR’s YouTube channel.

Not all sunshine and roses

There’s a lot to be hopeful about, but there’s still work to be done. The AACR says “in the United States cancer will claim more than one life every minute of every day this year,” and warns that number will grow due to an aging population. It also notes disparities for minority and other underserved groups, including those in rural areas.

But there’s also promise in new treatments approved in the past year. Like Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase) for HR SMM. And Lynozyfic (linvoseltamab-gcpt) for relapsed and refractory myeloma. And there will be at least one more bit of good news in the 2027 AACR report: Zenbexus (iberdomide) was approved too late to make this year’s edition.

I think all this promise helps us wrap up Blood Cancer Awareness Month on a high note.

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