WEDNESDAY, Oct. 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) — There are some racial and ethnic differences in safety and response to standard of care (SOC) idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), according to a study published online Oct. 16 in Blood Advances.

Lauren C. Peres, Ph.D., from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues pooled data from 207 RRMM patients (28 percent racial and ethnic minority patients [11 percent Hispanic; 17 percent non-Hispanic Black]) treated with SOC ide-cel across 11 institutions to examine clinical outcomes.

The researchers found that non-Hispanic Black patients had higher median levels of C-reactive protein and baseline ferritin than Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients, and they were more likely to develop cytokine release syndrome. The best overall response rate was lower among Hispanic versus non-Hispanic Black and White patients (59 percent versus 86 and 86 percent, respectively), but no differences were seen in progression-free or overall survival.

“These results highlight the need for diverse patient cohorts in research and clinical trials,” Peres said in a statement. “Clinical trials often lack diversity for many reasons such as recruitment barriers, financial considerations, medical mistrust, and cultural insensitivity. But stringent trial eligibility criteria also often exclude racial and ethnic minorities. In fact, 75 percent of our study population would not have been eligible for the trial that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of ide-cel.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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