Dr. Usmani Discusses Molecular Profiling in Myeloma

Saad Z. Usmani, MD, Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas HealthCare System, discusses molecular profiling in patients with multiple myeloma.

Myeloma is not one disease; there are at least 8 molecular subgroups, with even more distinct subgroups among those, Usmani says. Each subgroup manifests itself differently, and by molecular profiling patients with multiple myeloma, treatments may be more accurately selected. Drivers are being studied, and certain agents like venetoclax (Venclexta) can be used to target certain molecular mutations, Usmani says.

Gene expression profiling is one of the genomic tools that can be utilized to distinguish and simplify the heterogeneity of multiple myeloma, Usmani says. At the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting, the Gimema-MMY-3006 study investigated MMprofiler, a gene expression profiling tool, with SKY92 for patients with myeloma who are at both high and low risk of relapse.