Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Testing a New Therapy for Advanced Blood Cancer
Clinical Breakthroughs

Testing a New Therapy for Advanced Blood Cancer

By Nora DunneMar 11, 2016
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
singhal_seema
Seema Singhal, MD, professor Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, led the clinical trial’s Northwestern site.

A new drug called daratumumab is a safe and effective treatment for patients with advanced multiple myeloma who do not respond to other therapies, according to a recent clinical trial conducted by Northwestern Medicine investigator Seema Singhal, MD.

The findings were published in The Lancet.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that occurs in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow that is an essential component of the immune system. Daratumumab works by binding to malignant myeloma cells that express a protein called CD38, which induces tumor cell death.

“In this study, patients with advanced myeloma not responsive to two important classes of myeloma drugs were given therapy with a new agent,” said Dr. Singhal, a professor Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, who co-authored the paper. “The responses to this new drug were startlingly good, with 31 out of 106 patients – 29 percent – showing a response.”

On average, the drug reduced tumor burden beginning one month after treatment and lasted for about seven months. As a result of this trial, the Food and Drug Administration approved daratumumab for treatment of myeloma.

Dr. Singhal notes that the drug was well-tolerated by patients, with fatigue and anemia being the most common side effects.

“This drug is very specific to its target and does not cause daunting side effects,” she said. “Given that the myeloma patient population is elderly and often frail, it is wonderful to be able to use drugs that are effective without being toxic.”

The study was conducted at 26 sites around the world; Dr. Singhal enrolled patients at Northwestern and monitored them for response and toxicity. The investigators are continuing to test the drug in different combinations and at various stages of myeloma.

This research was funded by Janssen Research & Development, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures daratumumab.

Cancer Patient Care Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Student Spearheads Ukraine Aid Efforts

Jun 27, 2022

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Calcium Channel Blockers May Improve Chemotherapy Response

Jun 21, 2022
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
pride7
pride6
pride5
pride4
pride3
pride2
pride1
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0070
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0066
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0054
Northwestern University 2022. Photo by Jim Prisching
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0077

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2022 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.