The 50th Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress convened from April 9–13, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. As the premier national meeting dedicated to oncology nursing, the ONS Congress serves as both a retrospective on five decades of evolution in cancer care and a forward-looking forum for evidence-based practice, professional development, and interdisciplinary collaboration. With more than 70 educational sessions across multiple tracks, the conference continues to offer oncology nurses at all stages of practice a robust platform for skill enhancement and engagement with emerging clinical and research paradigms.
Notably, multiple posters presented at the meeting addressed key issues in the management of multiple myeloma. These included real-world evaluations of current therapies, patient-reported outcomes, and evolving strategies to optimize long-term survivorship and quality of life. The presented data underscore ongoing efforts to refine care delivery and improve patient-centered outcomes in this complex hematologic malignancy.
- In this pivotal trial, subcutaneous daratumumab monotherapy significantly reduced the risk of progression to symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) or death by 51% compared to active monitoring alone. At 60 months, 63.1% of patients in the daratumumab arm remained progression-free versus 40.8% in the control group. The benefit was consistent across subgroups, including patients reclassified as high-risk SMM per the Mayo 2018 criteria.
- Daratumumab not only delayed MM progression but also improved overall response rates (63.4% vs 2.0%), prolonged time to initiation of first-line therapy, and preserved health-related quality of life. These findings provide strong rationale for therapeutic intervention in high-risk SMM to prevent irreversible end-organ damage.
- This analysis from CARTITUDE-4 evaluated the impact of disease control during bridging therapy prior to ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) infusion in lenalidomide-refractory MM. Patients who achieved ≥25% reduction in tumor burden with bridging therapy had not yet reached median PFS at 15.9 months, versus 19.2 months for those with minimal or no response.
- These findings highlight the clinical importance of effective pre-infusion disease reduction. Improved CAR-T cell expansion relative to tumor burden (higher effector-to-target ratio) correlated with better outcomes, supporting the strategy of optimizing bridging therapy to enhance the success of CAR-T treatment in relapsed MM.
- In the long-term follow-up of CARTITUDE-4 (median 34 months), patients receiving cilta-cel had significantly longer time to symptom worsening and functional decline compared to standard of care (SOC), as assessed via validated PRO tools (MySIm-Q and EORTC QLQ-C30).
- Furthermore, median time to next anti-myeloma therapy (TTNT) was not reached in the cilta-cel arm, compared to 13.4 months in SOC. These results demonstrate durable disease control and sustained quality-of-life benefits, reinforcing cilta-cel’s value in lenalidomide-refractory MM from both clinical and patient-experience standpoints.
Exploring the Symptom Experience of Patients Taking Oral Anticancer Medications for Multiple Myeloma
- This qualitative study provides insight into the real-world symptom burden experienced by patients on long-term oral anticancer medications (OAMs) such as lenalidomide and pomalidomide. While symptom severity scores were generally low, the most frequently reported issues included poor sleep, fatigue, and pain—symptoms that patients often struggled to attribute to either the disease or its treatment.
- Thematic analysis identified four key experiences: uncertainty about symptom attribution, life-disrupting symptom burden, varied clinician responses, and a strong reliance on patient-led self-management. These findings underscore the need for improved symptom assessment and proactive, individualized management strategies in patients receiving OAMs for MM.
- The addition of daratumumab to VRd (D-VRd) significantly improved MRD-negativity rates (60.9% vs 39.4% at the 10⁻⁵ threshold) and ≥CR rates (81.2% vs 61.6%) in transplant-ineligible or deferred NDMM patients. The D-VRd regimen also demonstrated durable MRD responses and a 43% improvement in 54-month progression-free survival compared to VRd alone.
- Safety findings were consistent with known profiles, and daratumumab did not negatively impact overall treatment tolerability or patient-reported quality of life. These results support the incorporation of daratumumab into frontline regimens for patients not undergoing immediate ASCT, particularly where bortezomib-based therapy is appropriate.
- In this randomized trial of post-ASCT maintenance for MRD-positive NDMM, the combination of daratumumab and lenalidomide resulted in significantly higher MRD-negative conversion rates at 12 months (50.5% vs 18.8%), including in both high- and standard-risk cytogenetic subgroups.
- The combination also improved sustained MRD-negativity and PFS compared to lenalidomide alone, with no new safety concerns. These findings support the potential of daratumumab-based maintenance to deepen response and prolong disease control in a high-risk post-transplant population.
Assessing the Quality of Life of Brazilian Patients With Multiple Myeloma
- In this cross-sectional study of MM patients receiving care through Brazil’s public health system, pain, mobility impairment, and fatigue were the most burdensome symptoms. Despite active treatment, fear of disease progression and emotional distress were also common.
- Findings reveal significant QoL impairments—particularly in functional and symptom domains—suggesting that more structured, multidisciplinary interventions are needed. These should address physical symptoms, psychosocial concerns, and health literacy to support patient self-management and reduce the impact of chronic disease burden.
The 2025 ONS Congress is set to be an enriching and informative event. We recommend clicking here to explore the comprehensive list of topics and sessions that will be covered at this significant event. Don’t miss the opportunity to expand your expertise.
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