BSH/ISH 2016 | The future of multiple myeloma treatment: genetic tests and frailty

Karthik Ramasamy, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK discusses the different forms of multiple myeloma (MM) and approaches to determine better treatments in the future. The new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) myeloma guidelines, highlights that genetic tests need to be done in order to understand what is driving the disease in patients. Dr Ramasamy discusses how understanding the genetics of myeloma patients better would be advantageous in terms of understanding who the high risk patients are, who needs closer attention, who needs more continuous therapy, application of stem cell transplant and inclusion in clinical trials. Dr Ramasamy then goes on to discuss smouldering myeloma and how these patients need to be diagnosed early and offered treatment early, changing the way patients are looked at. For elderly myeloma patients, new trials are being set up and Dr Ramasamy discusses the importance of distinguishing between the frail, the fitter and the more intermediate patients. By splitting patients into groups, different groups can be given different doses. Dr Ramasamy hopes that in 2-3 years this will influence the drug doses clinicians choose for their patients. Recorded at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the British Society of Haematology (BSH) and International Society of Hematology (ISH), held in Glasgow, Scotland.