The Waldenstrom's Weekly

August 2, 2024

Volume 4, Issue 30

Exciting New Developments in Finding a Cure!

Special WM-NET Edition

The first WM-NET trial is already open for enrollment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with additional sites open for enrollment soon (Mayo Clinic and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, both likely to open in the fall 2024).

To learn more about this trial, visit its page on the National Cancer Institute’s website.

WM-NET is a network of collaborating institutions with the vision of improving the lives of patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) through scientifically driven clinical trials. “Clinical trials are the best way for us to improve care for patients with WM,” says Shayna R. Sarosiek, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, principal investigator for this first WM-NET trial to enroll participants. “Through trials we are able to offer patients novel therapies and learn about the efficacy and safety of these agents in WM.”

Dr. Sarosiek’s clinical trial, WM-NET1: Loncastuximab Tesirine for Previously Treated WM, has enrolled 9 individuals so far and is looking to enroll 36. This trial offers treatment to patients who have already had BTK inhibitor therapy and chemoimmunotherapy with hopes of establishing a new standard for these patients.

“Although there are many treatment options for WM, there is not a clear standard of care for treatment of WM after patients have received multiple lines of therapy, such as after a BTK inhibitor and chemoimmunotherapy,” says, Dr. Sarosiek. “Loncastuximab Tesirine is a treatment that is already FDA approved in a different cancer (diffuse large B cell lymphoma), so we have some baseline information about what to expect in terms of treatment toxicities. Additionally, this is a finite therapy. Patients receive only six treatments (once a month) and then the treatment is complete.”

Shayna R. Sarosiek, MD

Other WM-NET trials opening for enrollment soon are WM-NET2: Epcoritabmab for Previously Treated WM; WM-NET3: Zanubrutinib, Bendamustine, and Rituximab for Treatment-Naïve WM (ZEBRA); and WM-NET4: Pirtobrutinib, Venetoclax, and Rituximab in Previously Untreated WM. Each of these trials will enroll patients at multiple sites.

“The more institutions that join WM-NET, the easier and more convenient it will be for patients to participate in these trials,” says Newton Guerin, IWMF President and CEO. “And, the more patients we have participating in clinical trials, the more we will learn about WM, its treatment, and how we can cure it.”

If you’d like to learn more about WM-NET and participating in clinical trials, visit the Clinical Trials page on the IWMF website.

With your help, WM-NET and other Accelerate the Cure (ATC) initiatives are off to a great start. In addition to funding WM-NET and research projects already underway, IWMF will fund the work of 11 new research projects. Earlier this month, we also reached out to 300+ international researchers to request proposals for future research to develop new therapeutics and ultimately find a cure for WM. We encourage you to visit our new Accelerate the Cure page on IWMF's website to learn more and offer your support.

The IWMF mission statement is to support and educate everyone affected by Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) to improve patient outcomes while advancing the search for a cure.

Waldenstrom's Weekly is a free service to WM community members to share WM related news and events. Click on "download photos" at the top to view all content. For more information, email info@IWMF.com.

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