The three-drug combination D-Rd is an effective treatment for non-transplant eligible myeloma patients.
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This weeks’ “Ask Dr. Durie” who has just been newly diagnosed, and the patient is a gentleman aged 73, and his doctor has recommended a treatment using the combination or daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dex, so dara/rev/dex. The question is: Is this a good option? Is this something he should go forward and use?
Fortunately, the answer to this question is a definite yes. The results with this combination in older patients who are not eligible for transplantation for autologous stem cell transplant have been usually good.
Professor Thierry Facon from France presented the updated result with this regimen at the recent European Hematology Association meeting that was held in a virtual fashion.
And he presented the results showing that the first remission using this three-drug combination was more than five years. So, a long first remission using this combination, and the overall survival was also excellent at five years with 66.3% at five years. And so, outstanding results, probably the best that we have seen with any combination in this non-transplant setting.
And so, talk to your doctor, work with your doctor on this, but certainly the new updated results strongly support this as an excellent choice, and the expectation is high that you can achieve an excellent remission and a sustained remission for quite several years.
Dr. Brian G.M. Durie (1942-2025) was the co-founder of the IMF. He was a Professor of Medicine, Hematologist/Oncologist, and Honoree MD at the University of Brussels.
