A Phase 2 Study of the Effect of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Ibrutinib on Disease Response in Patients With High Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

The purpose of this research study is to test whether the drug ibrutinib (trademark name: IMBRUVICA®) is effective at preventing the development of multiple myeloma in people who currently have smoldering myeloma. The researchers conducting this trial) have reason to believe that ibrutinib can delay the development of multiple myeloma, thus giving people who currently have smoldering myeloma a longer period of time when they feel healthy and well.

Smoldering myeloma is an abnormal condition that is considered to be an early phase of the disease multiple myeloma. In this disorder, there is an abnormal growth of plasma cells, which is a type of blood cell found in the bone marrow. This growth is not as severe in people with smoldering myeloma as it is in multiple myeloma, so people with smoldering myeloma do not have any symptoms and tend to feel well. However, they have a higher risk of developing multiple myeloma than people in the general population.

Some people with smoldering myeloma are at an especially high risk of developing myeloma - 50% of these people will develop multiple myeloma 2 years after they are diagnosed with smoldering myeloma. The investigators identify these people by looking at the amount of myeloma in the bone marrow (called "bone marrow plasma cell percentage") and the amount of myeloma protein (called "serum protein electrophoresis" and "serum free light chain assay") in the blood. To be considered high risk, individuals must have highly abnormal levels for these tests.

Based upon current guidelines, people with smoldering myeloma do not require any treatment. However, known is that many of these people will develop multiple myeloma in the near future. Currently there have been no proven and effective way of preventing these people from developing multiple myeloma, which remains an incurable disease.