Current Review on High-Risk Multiple Myeloma

Abstract

Purpose of review: New risk stratification systems and treatment strategies have been introduced in recent years. We aim to provide an overview of these recent changes and summarise these data in a concise article that would be useful for clinicians.

Recent findings: Apart from clinical stage, disease genetics are now recognised as important prognostic risk factors, and various new cytogenetic changes with negative prognostic impact have been identified. New technologies such as minimal residual disease detection are also playing an important role in prognostic assessment. Recent introduction of combination therapy with proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs is showing promising results in high-risk patients and may partially abrogate the negative impact associated with some of the adverse risk factors. Recent advance has improved our understanding of high-risk multiple myeloma, and new therapeutic agents are now coming through the pipeline for this patient group with once dismal outcome.

Keywords: High risk; Multiple myeloma; Novel agents; del(17p); t(4;14).