Multiple myeloma, long considered incurable, now has a rigorous definition of cure. The announcement led the International Myeloma Society’s (IMS) 23rd Annual Meeting, attended by over 4,000 people from more than 79 countries.

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Nikhil C. Munshi, MD, presented the definition developed by IMS and the International Myeloma Working Group. A patient may be considered cured after five years in complete remission without myeloma treatment, counted from when treatment ends. The criteria include at least four negative measurable residual disease (MRD) tests, including one at five years, sensitive enough to detect one myeloma cell in a million. Imaging must show no disease at the start and end.

“We are no longer debating whether cure is possible,” said Dr. Munshi, IMS’s immediate past president. “We are defining it rigorously, measuring it precisely, and expanding the number of patients who can achieve it.”

Breakthrough data presented at the meeting included:

  • Longer remission after initial treatment: In the Phase 3 PERSEUS trial, 81.1% of patients receiving a daratumumab-containing four-drug regimen were progression-free at six years, versus 56.1% receiving a three-drug regimen. The analysis followed patients for nearly seven years.

  • New options at relapse: In the Phase 3 CERVINO trial, 74% of patients responded to investigational etentamig versus 45.7% receiving available therapies. In EXCALIBER-RRMM, 41.1% receiving iberdomide with daratumumab and dexamethasone achieved MRD-negative complete response versus 20.7% receiving daratumumab, bortezomib and dexamethasone.

  • CAR T generated inside the body: In first-in-human research involving nine patients, seven of eight evaluable patients showed clinical responses after a single infusion designed to generate dual-targeting CAR T cells inside the body. Median follow-up was two months.

Other sessions addressed blood-based monitoring, immune protection and the biology of high-risk disease. Bone marrow testing remains the standard for assessing residual disease.

IMS26 Abstracts Book: https://www.myelomasociety.org/publications/

On-demand meeting content: myelomasociety.org.

About the International Myeloma Society

The International Myeloma Society is the only global non-profit focused on myeloma research and clinical care. Representing thousands of experts across more than 75 countries, IMS accelerates cures, fosters collaboration, and transforms patient care. The organization emphasizes funding research (with $18.5 Million Provided) and advancing clinical care access in low-to-middle income countries.

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