HealthTree NYC Tour: Experts at Mount Sinai Share the Latest in Myeloma

What did experts share at the HealthTree tour at Mount Sinai about the latest in myeloma care?

Learn specialist insights from the HealthTree NYC Tour to Mount Sinai, where we interviewed myeloma experts and researchers to provide you with new information about multiple myeloma. 

Watch all interviews here. 

Understanding why myeloma develops

Dr. Santiago Thibaud spoke about his work on myeloma predisposition, which explores the reasons why some people develop multiple myeloma. This research looks at both environmental exposures and inherited genetic factors.

Some known environmental exposures that may increase risk include:

• Agent Orange, a toxic pesticide used by the U.S. military in Vietnam
• World Trade Center dust, linked to increased myeloma cases in first responders

However, most patients have no history of these exposures. That’s why Dr. Thibaud emphasized the importance of studying inherited risk. Families in which myeloma is diagnosed in various members may indicate that they carry genes that increase susceptibility.

People with inherited risk can benefit from earlier and more frequent screening. By better understanding who is predisposed to a higher risk, doctors can identify environmental causes that lead to better prevention strategies.

CAR T-cell therapy: A new direction in myeloma treatment

Dr. Shambavi Richard presented updates on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a treatment that uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight myeloma.

Since 2018, CAR T-cell therapy has led to deep and lasting remissions in patients who had run out of treatment options. Some patients can live over 5 years in remission without further therapy. 

Dr. Richard mentioned that research is now testing CAR-T:

• Earlier in the treatment process, possibly replacing stem cell transplants
• In new clinical trials, including as a first-line option or after one relapse

Reviewing driving limits after CAR-T

Dr. Gurbakhash Kaur shared her research on driving safety guidelines after receiving CAR-T. Current federal recommendations suggest patients avoid driving for 8 weeks due to risks like neurological side effects.

However, Dr. Kaur and her research partner, Dr. Rahul Banerjee, analyzed patient data and physician feedback. They found that:

• Most neurologic side effects (such as ICANS) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occur within the first 28 days
• Delayed side effects after day 28 are rare

Because of these findings, they propose updating driving guidelines to allow patients to resume driving after 28 days instead of 8 weeks.

This research helps patients and caregivers by:

• Reducing stress around travel and independence
• Improving quality of life without increasing medical risk

Making CAR-T immediately available

Dr. Adriana Rossi discussed how her team is working to improve access to CAR-T by developing off-the-shelf options using donor cells (called “allogeneic” CAR-T).

This means that healthy donor cells are used to create ready-to-go CAR T-cell therapies, and the treatment can begin without waiting weeks for manufacturing.

Her team is also testing:

• CAR T-cell therapies that target more than one protein on myeloma cells
• Faster production methods that shorten the time before patients can be treated

Read New Way to Engineer CAR T-Cells Could Make it More Accessible to keep learning CAR-T advances.

The HealthTree NYC Tour at Mount Sinai highlighted important advances in multiple myeloma. Experts shared how understanding genetic and environmental risk factors can improve early screening and prevention. They also explained how CAR T-cell therapy is becoming safer, more accessible, and potentially useful earlier in treatment. These developments support a better quality of life and expand options for patients navigating myeloma today.

Stay tuned for more virtual and in-person events, and become part of the HealthTree Community! 

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