Measurable disease evaluation in patients with myeloma

Best Pract Res Clin Haematol. 2020 Mar;33(1):101154. doi: 10.1016/j.beha.2020.101154. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Abstract

Recent years saw significant breakthroughs in treatment of multiple myeloma. Durable remissions are now seen in a significant proportion of patients with the previously uniformly incurable and progressive disease. Yet because of deep suppression of the neoplastic myeloma clones by the newer therapies, older disease monitoring techniques are insufficient to distinguish between the patients at high risk of imminent relapse and those in whom durable remission is expected. This review briefly describes prognostic and therapeutic implications of measurable disease (MRD) evaluation, explains why deep MRD evaluation is needed for patients without morphologic evidence of disease, and reviews the state of the art of evaluation of myeloma MRD by flow cytometry.

Keywords: Bone marrow; Flow cytometry; Measurable residual disease; Myeloma; Prognosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / chemistry
  • Antigens, CD / genetics*
  • Antigens, CD / immunology
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / immunology
  • Bone Marrow Cells / immunology
  • Bone Marrow Cells / pathology*
  • Flow Cytometry / methods*
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping / methods*
  • Lymphocyte Count
  • Multiple Myeloma / blood
  • Multiple Myeloma / diagnosis*
  • Multiple Myeloma / immunology
  • Multiple Myeloma / pathology
  • Neoplasm, Residual
  • Plasma Cells / immunology
  • Plasma Cells / pathology*
  • Prognosis
  • Recurrence
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antigens, CD
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Fluorescent Dyes