, Sang Eun Yoon2, Ka-Won Kang3, Jun Ho Yi4, Min Kyoung Kim5, Hyo Jung Kim6, Sung-Hyun Kim7, Joon Seong Park8, Sung-Hoon Jung9, Je-Jung Lee9, Chang-Ki Min10, Jae Hoon Lee1, Duck Cho11, Kihyun Kim2
1Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
2Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
3Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
4Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
5Department of Internal Medicine, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
6Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
7Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A University Medical Center, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea
8Department of Hematology-Oncology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
9Department of Hematology-Oncology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital and Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Korea
10Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
11Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Copyright © 2026 by the Korean Cancer Association
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Ethical Statement
The study was conducted in strict compliance with the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines, and the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol and informed consent documents received approval from the institutional review boards (IRBs) at all participating institutions. Final approval was also obtained from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before their involvement in the study. Additionally, the approved IRB protocol conducted all experimental procedures involving patient-derived specimens and molecular testing.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the analysis: Yoo KH, Kim K.
Collected the data: Yoo KH, Kang KW, Yi JH, Kim MK, Kim HJ, Kim SH, Park JS, Jung SH, Lee JJ, Min CK, Lee JH, Kim K.
Contributed data or analysis tools: Yoo KH, Cho D, Kim K.
Performed the analysis: Yoo KH, Cho D, Kim K.
Wrote the paper: Yoo KH, Kim K.
Conflict of Interest
This study was supported by research grant and investigational products from Janssen, Korea.
Funding
This work was supported by the Gachon University research fund of 2023 (GCU-202309110001).
Acknowledgments
This research was conducted under the auspices of the Korean Society of Hematology Multiple Myeloma Working Party (KMMWP). We thank the centers that participated in this study.
| Characteristic | No. (%) (n=26) |
|---|---|
| Age (yr), median (range) | 72 (47-85) |
| < 65 | 8 (30.7) |
| 65-74 | 12 (46.2) |
| ≥ 75 | 6 (23.1) |
| ≤ 70 vs. ≥ 71 | 12 (46.2) vs. 14 (53.8) |
| Type of measurable disease | |
| IgG | 15 (57.7) |
| IgA | 6 (23.1) |
| Detected in serum free light-chains only | 5 (19.2) |
| ISS disease staging (initial) | |
| I | 5 (19.2) |
| II | 17 (65.4) |
| III | 4 (15.4) |
| ISS disease staging (at relapse) | |
| I | 13 (50.0) |
| II | 11 (42.3) |
| III | 2 (7.7) |
| Cytogenetic profile | |
| High-risk cytogenetic abnormality | 5 (19.2) |
| Del17p | 2 (7.7) |
| t(4;14) | 3 (11.5) |
| t(14;16) | 3 (11.5) |
| Extramedullary skeletal disease | 6 (23.1) |
| ECOG performance score | |
| 0 | 14 (53.8) |
| 1 | 11 (42.3) |
| 2 | 1 (3.8) |
| Time since initial diagnosis (yr), median (range) | 2.4 (0.6-16.4) |
| Previous autologous stem-cell transplantation | 12 (46.2) |
| 1st line treatment | |
| VTD | 11 (42.3) |
| VMP | 8 (30.7) |
| Rd | 6 (23.1) |
| CMP | 1 (3.8) |
| Prior bortezomib | 19 (73.1) |
| Previous immunomodulatory drug therapy | 18 (69.2) |
| Prior thalidomide | 11 (42.3) |
| Prior lenalidomide | 7 (26.9) |
| Lenalidomide refractory/exposed | 6 (23.1)/7 (26.9) |
| Maintenance therapy | 5 (19.2) |
| Response category | No. with response (%) |
|---|---|
| CR or better | 10 (38.5) |
| sCR | 2 (7.7) |
| CR | 8 (30.7) |
| VGPR or better | 17 (65.4) |
| VGPR | 7 (26.9) |
| PR | 5 (19.2) |
| MR | 2 (7.7) |
| SD | 2 (7.7) |
| PD | 0 |
| MRD1-negativity (10-5) | n=13 |
| Negative | 6/13 (46.2) |
| MRD2-negativity (10-5) | n=5 (+5) |
| Negative | 2/5 (40.0) |
| Adverse events | Any grade | Grade 1-2 | Grade 3-5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common hematologic adverse event | |||
| Thrombocytopenia | 24 (92.3) | 20 (76.9) | 4 (15.4) |
| Anemia | 18 (69.2) | 17 (65.4) | 1 (3.8) |
| Neutropenia | 18 (69.2) | 18 (69.2) | 0 |
| Lymphopenia | 19 (73.1) | 9 (34.6) | 10 (38.5) |
| Common non-hematologic adverse event | |||
| Fever | 9 (34.6) | 6 (23.1) | 3 (11.5) |
| Peripheral neuropathy | 5 (19.2) | 4 (15.4) | 1 (3.8) |
| Anorexia | 4 (15.4) | 2 (7.7) | - |
| Constipation | 4 (15.4) | 4 (15.4) | - |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 4 (15.4) | 3 (11.5) | 1 (3.8) |
| Diarrhea | 3 (11.5) | 2 (7.7) | 1 (3.8) |
| Fatigue | 3 (11.5) | 3 (11.5) | - |
| Infusion related reaction | 3 (11.5) | 2 (7.7) | 1 (3.8) |
| Pneumonia | 3 (11.5) | 3 (11.5) | - |
| Rash | 3 (11.5) | 3 (11.5) | - |
| COVID-19 infection | 2 (7.7) | 1 (3.8) | 1 (3.8) |
| Sepsis | 1 (3.8) | - | 1 (3.8) |
CMP, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, and prednisone; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; Rd, lenalidomide and dexamethasone; VMP, bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone; VTD, bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone.
CR, complete response; MR, minimal response; MRD, minimal residual disease; PD, progressive disease; PR, partial response; sCR, stringent complete response; SD, stable disease; VGPR, very good partial response.
Values are presented as number (%). COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.
