How I treat myeloma with new agents

At present, multiple classes of agents with distinct mechanisms of action are available for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), including alkylators, steroids, immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs), proteasome inhibitors (PIs), histone deacetylase inhibitors (DACIs), and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Over the last 5 years, several new agents, such as the third-generation IMiD pomalidomide, the second-generation PIs carfilzomib and ixazomib, the DACI panobinostat, and 2 mAbs, elotuzumab and daratumumab, have been approved, incorporated into clinical guidelines, and have transformed our approach to the treatment of patients. These agents may be part of doublet or triplet combinations, or incorporated into intensive strategies with autologous stem cell transplantation. In this review, I discuss the different treatment options available today for the treatment of MM in frontline and relapse settings.