New CAR T Therapy Brings 80% Response Rate for Blood Cancer

Patients with multiple myeloma, a difficult blood cancer, are living longer and healthier lives thanks to a revolutionary approach that turns their own immune cells into cancer fighters.

The therapy, called CAR T, modifies a patient's immune cells in a lab to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Clinical trials show response rates above 80%, with more than half of patients achieving complete remission.

"At one point, multiple myeloma was a disease that would almost always return after treatment," says Dr. Hisham Abdel-Azim, division chief of hematologic malignancies at Loma Linda University Health. "Now we are able to significantly modify the disease course, extend survival and, in some cases, transform this into more of a chronic condition."

Multiple myeloma develops in plasma cells found in bone marrow and can cause bone pain, anemia, kidney damage, and frequent infections. More than 36,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease this year.

For years, chemotherapy remained the primary treatment option. Today, doctors combine targeted therapies and immunotherapies tailored to each patient, with CAR T offering hope even for those whose disease returned after initial treatments.

The therapy works by targeting a protein called BCMA found on malignant plasma cells. Patients receive a one-time infusion of their modified immune cells, a different experience from ongoing treatment schedules.

Beyond CAR T, newer immunotherapies called bispecific antibodies are expanding options by helping the immune system better recognize cancer cells. If one treatment stops working, doctors often have other effective options ready.

Why This Inspires

The transformation happening in multiple myeloma care represents what's possible when medical science refuses to accept "incurable" as final. Patients who once faced limited options now have access to therapies that didn't exist a few years ago, with response rates that would have seemed impossible.

Loma Linda University Cancer Center serves as the only facility in the Inland Empire accredited to provide these advanced treatments locally. The center treats patients holistically, including medical care, psychosocial support, and nutritional guidance throughout their journey.

Many patients are now returning to normal activities and, in some cases, achieving long-term remission. As research continues, that progress is expected to grow, offering renewed hope to families facing a multiple myeloma diagnosis.