Cancer is a disease that respects no borders: it affects everyone around the world, no matter where they live. The universal nature of cancer makes it even more important for international partners to collaborate on research and share learnings to improve outcomes everywhere, from the Americas to Europe, Africa to Asia, and beyond.
This year, the European Hematology Association (EHA) is celebrating 30 years of bringing international researchers together for just this purpose at its annual Congress. The event features research from oncology drug developers, renowned scientists and oncologists, and leading data companies from around the world, including COTA.
With COTA either co-authoring or contributing data to six studies accepted for poster presentation (with three additional abstracts accepted for online publication), it’s clear that real-world data (RWD) has become an essential part of the global quest to treat cancer more effectively – and equally clear that COTA’s uniquely valuable approach to RWD generation is making a big impact in the global oncology research landscape.
Here’s a sneak peek at just some of the research leveraging COTA data that will be presented at the conference in Milan, Italy this week.
Real world treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with CLL previously exposed to both BTKi and BCL2i therapy, including those with double refractory disease
This study analyzed real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had previously received both Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) and BCL2 inhibitors (BCL2i). Patients who discontinue or become resistant to both therapies are classified as double-exposed and double-refractory, respectively, and face limited treatment options. The analysis included 81 patients, most of whom were older adults treated in community settings.
Treatment discontinuation was primarily due to toxicity or disease progression. After receiving both therapies, the most common subsequent treatments included BTKi, BCL2i, and anti-CD20-based regimens. Outcomes were significantly worse for double-refractory patients, who experienced shorter progression-free and overall survival. These findings highlight the urgent need for new therapies in this high-risk population. The study was conducted by researchers from COTA, Inc., Merck, University of Rochester, and Harvard Medical School.
The efficacy of elranatamab in MagnetisMM-3 compared with a real-world control arm simulating a Colombian triple-class refractory multiple myeloma population
The aim of this study was to compare how patients in a clinical trial for the multiple myeloma drug elranatamab fared on the treatment compared to patients in a real-world external control arm (ECA) simulating a population of Colombian patients with triple-class refractory multiple myeloma (TCRMM), who received the standard treatments currently available to oncologists in Colombia.
The study, completed in partnership with Pfizer in the US and Colombia, found that treatment with elranatamab resulted in significantly longer progression-free survival and duration of response compared to the standard regimens available in Colombia, indicating that expanded access to the new treatment could be favorable to TCRMM populations in this country.
Treatment patterns and effectiveness in an anti-CD38 and lenalidomide pretreated RRMM population: Data from two real-world datasets
With collaborators from the US, Germany, the UK, and Canada, this study examined real-world characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in RWD datasets from the US (COTA real-world database) and Germany. The team explored outcomes of patients with RRMM who had been previously treated with lenalidomide (LEN) and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.
The study found that there is no clear standard of care post-LEN and CD38 therapy and there remains a high unmet need in this patient population. Despite some underlying differences in prior treatment and patient characteristics, both datasets showed consistency in progression-free and overall survival, giving confidence to the findings. The team concluded that more research is needed to better understand how to further optimize treatments for this patient population.
Epcoritamab plus lenalidomide and rituximab achieves high response rates and survival benefits compared with usual care in relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma: a comparative analysis
Researchers from the US, UK, and Denmark compared data from a clinical trial with COTA’s real-world, follicular lymphoma (FL) dataset to assess the comparative effectiveness of a novel treatment combination versus usual care for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) FL.
After adjusting for key differences between the clinical trial and real-world patient populations, the study found that patients who received the combination therapy were 20% more likely to achieve a response to therapy than patients who received usual care, and 60% more likely to achieve complete response. Patients who received the combination therapy also had a 57% reduction in risk of progression or death and a 67% reduction in mortality risk compared to the usual standards of care.
The study suggests that this combination of therapies may produce significantly better results than current care protocols and should be considered as a preferred chemotherapy-free option for patients with R/R FL.
To check out additional studies leveraging COTA’s RWD assets that will be presented at EHA2025, click here.
