Multiple myeloma

Advances in treatment and a better understanding of the cancer mean people with the disease are living longer.

The disease is now recognized as several distinct cancers. Some researchers think that this will lead to more tailored treatments.

Researchers are amassing evidence about the best ways to treat the precursor condition before it develops into active disease.

Could viruses such as the one used in the measles vaccine be used to treat multiple myeloma?

S. Vincent Rajkumar says there is enough evidence to begin testing, and treating, people at high risk of the disease much earlier.

Black people are more likely to develop multiple myeloma and to die from it than white people. Why these differences exist and what can be done to lessen them is the subject of ongoing research.

Treatments that help the immune system fight multiple myeloma are emerging fast, but the number of people who relapse remains.

Immunotherapy that targets a hair-follicle protein, genetic changes that underlie disease development and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.

Single cell dissection of plasma cell heterogeneity in myeloma patients reveals new insights into disease that may inform early diagnosis and clinical management.

Subhayan Chattopadhyay et al. conduct genome-wide interaction studies to identify genetic susceptibility to multiple myeloma. They find 16 unique interacting loci, which implicate immune response in multiple myeloma pathology.

CD19 CAR-T cells have achieved some success in treating myeloma patients despite the limited detection of the CD19 antigen. Here, the authors show using dSTORM that 10/14 myeloma samples studied express ultra-low levels of CD19, which are sufficient for engaging CAR-T cells in vitro.