Better Myeloma Care: ASH 2025 News with HealthTree Coach Todd Kennedy

In a special podcast by Sage Journals, HealthTree Coach Todd Kennedy and Dr. Rahul Banerjee break down the biggest news from the ASH 2025 medical meeting for the myeloma community. In this podcast wrap-up, you’ll learn about the most relevant trials that may revolutionize myeloma care. 

They discussed three main areas: using powerful T-cell therapies earlier to help the immune system, using new strategies to lower side effects and improve daily life, and exploring new medicines for hard-to-treat cases. 

By looking at the latest trial data, they explain how these breakthroughs are moving us closer to a potential cure.

Using immune-boosting therapies

In the past, the strongest treatments were only used after a patient had tried many other therapies. Now, doctors are moving "immune-boosting" therapies to the very beginning. Whether you are newly diagnosed or your cancer has just relapsed (come back), using these tools sooner helps your body fight harder while it is still strong.

"I love the concept of shifting multiple myeloma toward a functional cure," Todd shared.

Todd was diagnosed eight years ago. He highlighted how words matter to him and how at first, myeloma seemed like an incurable, terminal disease. But, to him, myeloma can be cured. He mentioned how earlier patient participation in clinical trials can accelerate that. 

One of the major highlights was the MajesTEC-3 trial

The MajesTEC-3 trial was a major highlight of the podcast because it showed how powerful treatment can be when used earlier. This study focused on patients whose myeloma had come back after 1 to 3 previous treatments. 

Researchers found that combining the bispecific antibody teclistamab (Tecvayli) with a standard therapy, daratumumab (Darzalex),  was significantly more effective than traditional options. In fact, this combination reduced the risk of the cancer getting worse or causing death by a remarkable 83%.

 Todd Kennedy described this as a "goosebumps" moment for patients. It proves that moving these advanced immune therapies to an earlier stage can lead to much deeper remissions and brings us one step closer to the goal of a functional cure.

Using proactive strategies to prevent side effects

The podcast highlighted a study by the US Multiple Myeloma Immunotherapy Consortium that offers a solution for low blood cell counts after CAR T-cell therapy. This is a common side effect that happens if the bone marrow gets "tired" making it hard for the body to recover. 

To fix this, doctors used a "stem cell boost" by giving patients back a small portion of their own healthy stem cells that were collected and frozen earlier. 97% of patients saw their blood counts improve in about a month. Todd and Dr. Banerjee discussed how proactive strategies like this can help patients recover faster, stay out of the hospital, and avoid serious infections.

Using IVIG to prevent infections 

A very important "takeaway" from the podcast was the use of IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin). Because these new treatments wipe out both healthy and cancerous cells, the memory your defense cells had of previous infections is lost, making it very easy to get sick.

Dr. Banerjee and Todd emphasized that getting regular IVIG infusions is like "downloading" a new immune system. It provides the antibodies you need to keep your treatment on track.

The CARTITUDE-4 trial

The CARTITUDE-4 trial focused on using the CAR-T therapy ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti), also known as cilta-cel after only 1 to 3 prior lines of treatment. Among standard-risk patients, 80% lived disease-free after two and a half years. 

The big takeaway for the community is that CAR T-cell therapy works best when it is used before a patient’s own T cells had many years of heavy chemotherapy. By acting sooner, the immune system is healthier and better equipped to keep the cancer away for a longer period of time.

The RedirecTT-1 trial 

The RedirecTT-1 trial explored a new idea: using two different bispecific antibodies at the same time. The strategy involved combining two medicines, teclistamab and talquetamab, targeting myeloma cells from two different sides. 

This approach showed great success, even for patients with extramedullary disease, a type of myeloma that forms tumors outside of the bones and is usually very hard to treat. 

In this podcast we can see how Todd’s self-advocacy and involvement in his health can help other people understand more about new therapies, and build a bridge between specialists like Dr. Banerjee can guide research to better understand patients’ needs. 

If you, like Todd, want to start self advocacy, you can join HealthTree. We provide tools that help you stay informed, track your health and participate in real-world research. Once you have an account, you can explore the HealthTree Coach program to find a mentor like Todd Kennedy who can help you understand these trials and how they apply to your own care.

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Listen to the full podcast here: Podcast: Shifting treatment paradigm in multiple myeloma: a podcast integrating ASH 2025 data with patient and physician perspectives