Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Bispecific Antibody Therapy
Last updated on: 10/18/2024
Two panels of patients, one who had received bispecific antibody therapy and one who had not, created a list of questions to ask your doctor about bispecific antibody therapy. Whether you are a current candidate for this therapy or would like to know more about the treatment for future use, these questions can serve as a great conversation starter.
Qualifying for bispecific antibody therapy
- Do I qualify for bispecific antibody therapy? Why/why not?
- How many lines of therapy do I need to qualify for bispecific therapy?
- Are there any screening tests that need to be taken before bispecific antibody therapy? If so, which ones?
- Is there anything about my specific myeloma case or health profile that would preclude me from getting bispecific therapy?
Physician insights on bispecific therapy
- How familiar are you with bispecific antibody therapy? Have you done any personal research in this field?
- What physician (from a different academic center) would you recommend for a second opinion on this subject?
- Do you have any patients currently on bispecific therapy? Which therapies? In general, how have they responded?
- Are you more likely to go by the book or adapt as necessary when real-world data presents new ideas for bispecific antibody therapy?
Choosing a bispecific antibody
- How do I decide which of the bispecific therapies is best for me?
- What are the key differences between the FDA-approved therapies?
- What bispecific have you seen the most success with among patients with my similar genetic profile?
Bispecific antibody clinical trial questions
- Do you know of an open clinical trial of bispecific antibodies at this facility? If not, where is one near me?
- Would it be appropriate for me to consider a bispecific in a clinical trial instead of one that is FDA-approved?
Sequencing bispecific antibodies
- If I have received a bispecific antibody therapy already, can you prescribe me a different one and have it work effectively?
- Because I have had BCMA-targeting therapy previously, will a BCMA-targeting bispecific antibody work for me?
- Should I have CAR T-cell therapy before considering bispecifics?
Side effects of bispecific antibodies
- How common/serious are side effects like ICANS and CRS? When can these side effects occur?
- How do I manage these side effects? What warning signs should I be monitoring?
- What medications do you give to prevent infections? What infections am I at risk for contracting?
- What are the warning signs of infection? When should I contact you?
- What can I do to prevent infection?
- How long am I at risk of these side effects?
Bispecific antibody therapy responses
- How deep of a response do you think that I can get from this drug? Would you like to set a goal in terms of depth of response?
- How long could I expect to get a response from this drug?
Resources and access to bispecific antibody therapy treatment
- How much will these therapies cost me?
- Does this facility provide any financial assistance?
- Can you connect me with a social worker?
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