The mechanism for the previously unknown occurrence of thrombocytopenia and neutropenia in patients with myeloma treated with immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) has finally been understood from clinical trials by Suzanne Lentzsch, MD, PhD, of Columbia University, New York City, NY. Dr Lentzsch explains that IMiDs such as revlimid and pomalidomide act by downregulating critical transcription factors, including IKZF1, pushing stem cells into one lineage and stopping maturation of progenitor cells and platelets. This mechanism provides a basis for hematopoietic malignancies as indicated by low white blood cell counts and platelets in patients taking IMiDs. This interview was recorded from the 2018 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) in Houston, TX.
