Before new drugs or procedures can be approved for use in multiple myeloma, clinical trials must prove that they are safe and more effective than currently available options. Use the Myeloma Matrix 2.0 Smart Search tool to find multiple myeloma clinical trials.
The Myeloma Matrix 2.0 Smart Search
The IMF’s Myeloma Matrix 2.0: Smart Search is a clinical trial search tool developed by the IMF and Smart Patients. Myeloma Matrix 2.0 uses up-to-the-minute information from the National Cancer Institute's cancer.gov database and makes it possible to find a clinical trial using any of the following criteria:
- by drug name
- by drug type
- by trial phase
- by where you live
- by where you are in the disease process
- newly diagnosed
- smoldering myeloma
- maintenance therapy
- relapsed/refractory
*Please note that the number of trials listed in the top column for each phase refers to the total number of individual trials for the phase in question. Many trials may be appropriately placed in more than one treatment category, but the trial is only counted once.
Phases of Cancer Clinical Trials
Phase O - Helps researchers decide if a new agent should be tested in a phase I trial
Phase I - Determines the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of a new drug or a new combination of drugs
Phase II - Determines the response rate of a new therapy that has already been tested in phase I trials
Phase III - Compares two or more treatments for a given type and stage of cancer
Phase IV – Looks at long-term safety and effectiveness after a drug has been approved
Definitions of Treatment Types
Chemotherapy: In the broadest sense, any drug used to kill cancer cells. In stricter terms, chemotherapy drugs are those which kill all rapidly dividing cells, both cancerous and normal.
Immunotherapy: Treatment that enhances the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. Also called biological therapy.
Targeted therapy: Drugs or other substances that block the growth and spread of cancer by interfering with specific molecules ("molecular targets") that are involved in the growth, progression, and spread of cancer.
Transplant: The most common type of transplant procedure for multiple myeloma patients is an autologous transplant, a procedure in which stem cells are removed from a patient’s blood and then are given back to the patient following intensive treatment.