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VIDEO: Progress in MRD testing poised to further improve patient outcomes in myeloma
C. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, chief of the myeloma service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, discusses the advances in outcomes in multiple myeloma, with specific focus on developments in minimal residual disease testing.
“We are at the stage where more and more patients are reaching the deepest levels of clinical responses, and there clearly is a need to monitor beyond that,” he said.
Offering background on response rates with combination therapy regimens, Landgren covers both cell- and molecular-based tests.
He highlights research by the Black Swan Research Initiative — led by the international Myeloma Working Group — on flow cytometry platforms, sequencing of VDJ (Variable, Diversity, and Joining) gene segments, and assays that can be applied to peripheral blood and urine.
“We already know that MRD negativity beyond a complete response leads to both a longer PFS and OS,” he said. “So stay tuned, this is a very exciting field.”