By: Kerri Fitzgerald
The combination of belantamab mafodotin, bortezomib, and dexamethasone generally maintained or improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, indicating “a potential new standard of care”, according to Vania Hungria, MD, of Clínica São Germano in São Paulo, Brazil, and colleagues who published the findings in The Lancet Haematology.
The researchers assessed patients from the phase 3, open-label, randomized, controlled DREAMM-7 trial, which previously demonstrated a significant progression-free survival benefit with belantamab mafodotin, bortezomib, and dexamethasone compared with daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone. The study was conducted at 142 hospitals in 20 countries.
Patients (n=494; mean age, 64 years) were randomized 1:1 to receive belantamab mafodotin 2.5 mg/kg on day 1 of each 21-day cycle (n=243) or intravenous daratumumab 16 mg/kg once weekly in cycles 1 to 3, followed by every 3 weeks in cycles 4 to 8, and every 4 weeks in cycle 9 and beyond (n=251). Both cohorts also received subcutaneous bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of 21-day cycles and oral or intravenous dexamethasone 20 mg on the day of and day after bortezomib administration for the first 8 cycles.
A majority of patients was male (55%), and most were White (83%).
HRQOL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-MY20, and Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.
After a median follow-up of 28.2 months, mean EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20 scores were stable in both treatment cohorts, and at each time point assessed, most patients reported stable or improved scores in global health status/quality of life, role functioning, and physical functioning domains.
Neither cohort reported being “bothered” by adverse events, per the FACT-GP5.
This study was supported by GSK.
Reference
Hungria V, Hus M, Fu CC, et al. Patient-reported outcomes with belantamab mafodotin, bortezomib, and dexamethasone versus daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (DREAMM-7): results from a phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Haematol. 2025:S2352-3026(25)00163-2. doi:10.1016/S2352-3026(25)00163-2
