This case series demonstrates the feasibility and tolerability of photobiomodulation (PBM) delivered alongside talquetamab in four patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, though no conclusion can be drawn regarding efficacy given the small, uncontrolled sample and concurrent supportive interventions.
All four patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma receiving talquetamab developed dysgeusia during treatment.
All four patients reported xerostomia, with observable signs on oral examination.
PBM was well tolerated with no PBM-related adverse events in any of the four patients.
All patients received concomitant standard supportive care alongside PBM, preventing any attribution of outcomes to PBM alone.
No evidence-based supportive-care intervention has been established for talquetamab-associated oral adverse effects prior to this report.
This research describes four patients with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma who were treated with a newer immunotherapy drug called talquetamab. A well-known side effect of this drug is problems with taste and dry mouth, which can make it hard for patients to eat and can reduce their quality of life. The researchers tested whether a light-based therapy called photobiomodulation (PBM) — which uses low-level red and infrared laser light applied to tissues — might help manage these side effects when used alongside standard supportive care like special mouthwashes and saliva substitutes. All four patients developed taste problems during talquetamab treatment, ranging from reduced taste to complete loss of taste, and all four experienced dry mouth with visibly thick, reduced saliva. The PBM treatments were completed without any side effects from the light therapy itself, and importantly, no patient had to stop their cancer treatment due to oral side effects. No patients developed mouth sores, which is another common concern with cancer therapies. This research suggests that PBM is feasible and safe to deliver alongside talquetamab, but the study has major limitations: it included only four patients, had no comparison group, used no objective measurements of taste or saliva flow, and all patients also received other supportive treatments at the same time. Because of this, it is impossible to know whether PBM, the mouthwashes, or some combination contributed to the outcomes. The authors call for larger, controlled studies with standardized measurements before any conclusions about PBM's effectiveness can be made.
Ferreira M, de Paula Eduardo F, Menti L, de Morais I, Hamerschlak N, Kerbauy M, et al.. (2026). Photobiomodulation to minimize talquetamab-associated dysgeusia and xerostomia in multiple myeloma: a brief report of four cases.. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-11133-8