Modern markers for evaluating bone disease in multiple myeloma (Review)

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a bone marrow neoplasia with increasing incidence compared to previous years. Although new therapeutic molecules have been introduced, it remains an incurable disease with severe repercussions to patients. For many patients, bone disease represents a severe problem often causing pain, pathological bone fractures, and spinal cord compression, which affects the quality of life. This article analyzes the main markers of bone destruction in MM as well as risk factors for severe bone damage. Bone complications have a negative impact on the quality of life of patients with MM, along with other associated complications (renal failure, hypogammaglobulinemia, osteolytic bone disease, hypercalcemia, anemia). The markers of bone destruction described in this article include: interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), amino- and carboxy-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX, CTX), human bone sialoprotein (BSP) and dickkopf-1 secreted glycoprotein (DKK1). The future practical applicability of this literature review would be the large-scale determination of markers of bone destruction that correlate with the negative evolution to complications of bone disease or the implications that these markers have in regards to treatment.

Keywords: ALP; IL-6; RANKL; TNF-α; multiple myeloma; β-CTx.