The Myeloma Priority Setting Partnership (PSP), the first of its kind in myeloma, has identified ten priorities for future myeloma research.
Published in the British Journal of Haematology, these priorities will shape the direction of future myeloma research by identifying the unanswered research questions that are important to myeloma stakeholders.
“We can now turn to important funders, scientists and service providers and encourage them to recognize the views and needs of those affected, and invest in getting their questions answered,” explained Dr. Tony Reiman, Medical Oncologist with Horizon Health Network and MSSU Science Lead (Saint John), who led the Myeloma PSP.
“It is only through research that we will continue to make advances in myeloma patient care, and it is only by asking myeloma patients, and those who care for them, that we will know what research topics are the most important,” added Dr. Reiman.
Following the James Lind Alliance method, the Myeloma PSP brought together myeloma patients, caregivers, and clinicians to collaboratively identify the Top 10 unanswered myeloma research questions—from a long list of more than 3,000 questions proposed during the early stages of the project.
“As a patient representative, I felt that the PSP process not only facilitated an effective collaboration among patients and clinicians but more importantly through the survey engaged and empowered patients and clinicians from across Canada to identify and prioritize future research that recognized and responded to patients’ needs. It gave patients a voice in their future,” said Robin Sulley, a person with myeloma and a member of the Myeloma PSP Steering Group.
“We’re thrilled to have been behind this initiative because no one understands myeloma better than those whose lives have been impacted by it,” stated Martine Elias, Executive Director at Myeloma Canada, which funded and supported the Myeloma PSP.
“The results of the Myeloma PSP are important to funders and researchers, and give the Canadian myeloma community a prominent voice in directing Myeloma Canada’s future research strategy toward projects they defined as meaningful,” added Elias.
Top ten priorities identified for multiple myeloma research in Canada and internationally
- How can we cure myeloma?
- Are novel immunotherapies effective for the treatment of myeloma?
- How can we improve the diagnosis (e.g. faster, less invasive) of myeloma, and what is the impact of earlier diagnosis on patient outcomes?
- What are new treatments for myeloma patients that will improve life expectancy with fewer adverse side effects?
- How can we personalize a patient’s treatment based on their type of myeloma and genetic profile, and what is the impact of personalized medicine on treatment efficacy and disease outcomes?
- How can we prevent bone deterioration and/or repair bones that have been damaged without negative side effects or surgery?
- How can we safely reduce, cycle, or stop the use of anti-myeloma medications to reduce the side effects of treatment and maintain control over myeloma?
- How can we reduce or manage the short- and long-term adverse effects of myeloma treatment?
- What is the most effective way (i.e. drug combinations, sequence, frequency and intensity) to treat refractory, relapsed and drug-resistant myeloma?
- Can we develop treatments specifically for high risk or aggressive myeloma that will improve outcomes for these patients?
Read the paper
Fowler, S., McLaughlin, L., Bridges, S., Robichaud, M., Ridgway, B., Reece, D., Song, K., Dalrymple, L., Sully, R., Nason, S., Rowland, S., MacDonald, T., Paine, W. and Reiman, A. (2021), The future of myeloma research in Canada and beyond: results of a James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership. Br J Haematol. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.17946