EMMA 2016 | New tools for multiple myeloma treatment monitoring

Jesús San Miguel, MD, PhD of the University Clinic of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain introduces the round table discussion on new tools for treatment monitoring in multiple myeloma (MM) patients at the 2016 European Multiple Myeloma Academy (EMMA) in Madrid, Spain. Prof San Miguel is joined by a panel of experts, Michele Cavo, MD from the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Hervé Avet-Loiseau, MD, PhD from the University Hospital Toulouse, Toulouse, France and Bruno Paiva, PhD from the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. Prof. San Miguel begins the discussion by asking the experts if they believe that new tools for diagnosis and monitoring in MM should be rapidly introduced into all treatment centers. The next topic of discussion is the new diagnosis and response criteria, which includes new minimal residual disease (MRD) evaluation, with PET and flow cytometry or next-generation sequencing (NGS). Prof San Miguel then asks if MRD by flow cytometry, NGS or PET will become an important biomarker to assess the patient response and efficacy of treatment. The panel discuss the example of young patients who have a higher chance of being cured, it is important that being able to measure MRD in these patient effectively. Prof San Miguel and Dr Cavo then address the limitations of conventional X-rays and whether it can be replaced by new diagnostic techniques like CT. The final discussion is on whether new diagnostic techniques will help to speed up the registration of drugs in the future by allowing MRD to be used as an endpoint instead of overall survival.

This programme has been supported by Celgene and Amgen through an unrestricted educational grant to the Video Journal of Hematological Oncology.