ASH 2021 | Genomic characterization of non-progressor smoldering multiple myeloma

Nikhil Munshi, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, outlines the findings of a study investigating the genomic and transcriptomic features of patients with smoldering multiple myeloma who do not progress to multiple myeloma. Using whole-genome and transcriptome profiling in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma who had and had not progressed to multiple myeloma after a five-year follow-up, the study identified three characteristics of non-progressor smoldering multiple myeloma: a low mutational load, an absence of chromosome 8 copy number change, and a low deletion count. In addition, transcriptomic analysis highlighted that expression of MYC target genes and DNA repair pathway genes in non-progressor smoldering multiple myeloma cells was similar to normal plasma cells. Together with the recently defined genomic features of high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma, this genomic characterization will help select the right patient subgroups for clinical trials and provide assurance to patients with non-progressor smoldering multiple myeloma. It is important to validate these findings in a larger dataset. This interview took place at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition congress in Atlanta, GA.