Improving treatment outcomes for Australian myeloma patients

Dr Kylee Maclachlan moved her career and her family to New York City in August last year to help improve outcomes for Australian myeloma patients.  Kylee is aiming to establish an ongoing collaboration between the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre to share clinical trials, treatment protocols and expert knowledge. Specifically, Kylee is working with Prof Landgren, a world leader in multiple myeloma minimal residual disease and Dr Maura, a specialist in myeloma genomic analysis.  Kylee’s research will help to better understand the impact of initial treatments on an individual’s myeloma to determine the best treatment path going forward.

Sadly, for Australians, our myeloma first line treatment options are limited compared to the USA.  The recent funding approval of triple therapy, lenalidomide-bortezomib-dexamethasone comes three years after it was shown to be effective.  Kylee is hoping the research she is conducting will help to expedite funding for future treatments in Australia.  Using the genomic characterisation of minimal residual disease, her research aims to show the impact of induction treatments on myeloma; to help define patients who have a very deep response and may not require more toxic treatments such as a stem cell transplant. This may change the healthcare economics of myeloma; prioritising highly effective induction therapy rather than transplantation.  Kylee believes the incurable status of myeloma may be changing, with more patients living in remission every year. Funding is still required to help Kylee continue her research in 2021.  If you would like to assist Kylee please donate here.