
A Mid-Year Myeloma Review with Paul Richardson, MD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Paul Richardson, MD
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Interview Date: July 18, 2022
The field of multiple myeloma is moving quickly. In this show, Dr. Paul Richardson shares many updates in the field of myeloma research. He reviewed the results of the DETERMINATION trial which sought to answer the long-term question - is early transplant better than later or no transplant? The study omparied RVD plus or minus early stem cell transplant, finding that there was a signficant difference in progression free survial, but not in overall survival. He shared interesting findings that may bring us to more personalized use of transplant - that obese patients do worse with transplant vs. normal BMI patients, that 4;14 patients may benefit from transplant but del17p patients not as much, and that patients who achieve MRD negativity with or without transplant do better overall. Clearly, the message is that we can personalize therapy including the use of transplant in better ways. He reviewed other key drugs making progress including melfufen, BLENREP, ibderdomide, other celMODs, and CAR T and bispecific therapies. Staying up-to-date on myeloma therapies is essential as the field continues to move quickly as was readily apparent in this show.
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Paul Richardson, MD
Paul Richardson, MD, is the RJ Corman Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, Clinical Program Leader and Director of Clinical Research at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston. Dr. Richardson received his medical degree from the Medical College of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, UK. His postdoctoral training included internship in the Departments of Medicine & Surgery at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital; residency in the Department of Medicine at Newcastle University School of Medicine; appointment as Chief Resident in Medical Oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and Surrey; and additional residency training at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, USA. He completed fellowships in hematology/oncology and medical oncology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute before coming on staff at DFCI in 1994. Dr. Richardson currently holds leadership positions in several professional bodies and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of Oncology, The Oncologist, Clinical Cancer Research, and the British Journal of Hematology. He is the prior Chairman of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, Clinical Trials Core, a position he held for 5 years as a founding member and as part of a rotating tenure, and for which he continues to serve on the Steering Committee and Project Review Committee. He now chairs the newly formed Multiple Myeloma Committee for the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (the former CALGB). His honors include several Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Partners in Excellence Awards; The Brigham and Women’s Hospital Teaching Scholars Award; The Tisch Outstanding Achievement Award for Clinical Research; and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s George Canellos Award for Excellence in Clinical Research and Patient Care. For his contributions in hematology and oncology, and in particular myeloma, he was awarded an honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) in 2009, and he was also more recently a co-recipient of the prestigious Warren Alpert Prize in 2012, the Ernest Beutler Prize at ASH 2015, and the Robert A Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

Jennifer Ahlstrom
Myeloma survivor, patient advocate, wife, mom of 6. Believer that patients can help accelerate a cure by weighing in and participating in clinical research. Founder of the HealthTree Foundation.

