Eradication of Minimal Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma: The Role and Timing of ASCT

Accredited for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit

Advances in multiple myeloma (MM) management have equipped oncology health care providers with the tools and strategies for achieving treatment responses in up to 100% of patients, with as many as 80% reaching a complete response (CR). However, achieving a CR does not always predict long-term survival, and most patients ultimately relapse as a result of the persistence of minimal residual disease (MRD) after treatment. MRD cannot be detected with conventional, low-sensitivity evaluation methods; technologies to quantify low-level disease burden remain an urgent clinical need. Also critical to improving response assessment is incorporating more sensitive methods for detecting MRD, as a growing body of evidence suggests that MRD negativity is a predictor of better clinical outcomes. MRD monitoring may allow clinicians to stratify risk and tailor treatments to patients more effectively than can be accomplished by current standards.