MMRF Accelerator Magazine Winter 2017 Edition | Page 4

MMRF CoMMpass STUDY YI SM Since its start in 2011, The MMRF CoMMpass Study SM has revolutionized how research is done in the field of multiple myeloma. This publically available data set has allowed researchers all over the world to collaborate in order to speed up the rate of discoveries about myeloma and the development of new treatments. When data is shared, patients benefit. Our goal is to gather as much data about multiple myeloma as we can, to answer questions about myeloma care and treatment facing the community. We have enrolled more than 1,150 patients from 90 clinical sites in four countries in CoMMpass, and we now have the largest genomic data set in all of cancer. This ensures that we’re learning as much about myeloma as we can and are helping as many patients as possible. SOME OF THE THINGS WE’VE LEARNED ALREADY AS A RESULT OF CoMMpass THREE MEDICATIONS ARE BETTER THAN TWO STEM CELL TRANSPLANT WORKS THERE ARE 12 TYPES OF MYELOMA Patients who take three medications (called triplet therapy) have a longer period of remission before their disease comes back than patients who take two. Triplet therapy plus stem cell transplant shows better results than triplet therapy alone. We’ve identified 12 different molecular types of myeloma, each with its own challenges and best treatments. This is helping patients get the right treatment at the right time. WHAT’S NEXT? We’ve only just begun. The next step is to study more patients and identify more types of myeloma. At this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in Atlanta, the MMRF 4 was part of more than 30 presentations, 26 of them a direct result of CoMMpass. From looking at survival after stem cell transplant to identifying genetic mutations in tumors that can be targets for treatment, the data collected as a part of the CoMMpass Study is yielding results that move us closer to our goal of precisely the right treatment at the right time for every patient. T H E M M R F.ORG