Dr. Silbermann on the Role of Disease Biology in Multiple Myeloma

Rebecca Silbermann, MD, MMS, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, discusses the role of disease biology in multiple myeloma. 

Despite significant research efforts, questions regarding the heterogeneity of multiple myeloma remain, Silbermann says. In the coming years, it is likely that multiple disease subtypes will be identified, explains Silbermann. 

At the time of diagnosis and relapse, ​understanding the patient’s individual disease biology plays a crucial role in treatment selection, ​says Silbermann.

For example, ​treatment considerations upon relapse differ among patients with symptomatic, high-risk multiple myeloma and patients with standard-risk, well-controlled disease. ​Likewise, a patient with standard-risk multiple myeloma who had difficulty achieving first remission should be carefully evaluated to determine whether their disease biology necessitates more aggressive subsequent therapy.