Jenny Ahlstrom: What Does “Cure” Mean for Multiple Myeloma Patients? | IMS 2026

What does it actually mean to be "cured" of multiple myeloma? Jenny Ahlstrom, CEO and founder of the HealthTree Foundation and a myeloma patient herself, breaks down the emerging consensus definition of cure in myeloma from the 2026 International Myeloma Society (IMS) meeting, from a patient's perspective.

The International Myeloma Society and International Myeloma Working Group have been working toward a consensus definition: a patient who is MRD-negative at 5 years following therapy. Dr. Nikhil Munshi from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute shared data suggesting that 5-30% of myeloma patients may already be cured on current therapies, even therapies used a decade ago.

Jenny also discusses why patients think differently about "cure" than researchers do, the importance of risk-stratifying newly diagnosed patients, and how physicians and patient advocates are working together to communicate the cure definition responsibly, without making patients who don't meet it feel like they've failed.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction: Jenny Ahlstrom at IMS 2026
0:14 The emerging consensus definition of "cure"
1:14 Dr. Nikhil Munshi's data: 5-30% may be cured
1:32 A patient's perspective on "cure"
2:20 Communicating cure to patients responsibly
3:06 Setting expectations and what success looks like

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