Epidemiology, genetics and treatment of multiple myeloma and precursor diseases

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy caused by the clonal expansion of plasma cells. The incidence of MM worldwide is increasing with greater than 140 000 people being diagnosed with MM per year. Whereas 5-year survival after a diagnosis of MM has improved from 28% in 1975 to 56% in 2012, the disease remains essentially incurable. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of MM including its epidemiology, genetics and biology. We will also provide an overview of MM management that has led to improvements in survival, including recent changes to diagnosis and therapies. Areas of unmet need include the management of patients with high-risk MM, those with reduced performance status and those refractory to standard therapies. Ongoing research into the biology and early detection of MM as well as the development of novel therapies, such as immunotherapies, has the potential to influence MM practice in the future.

The Apparent Diffusion Coefficient of Diffusion-Weighted Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging Affects the Survival of Multiple Myeloma Independently

“…The criteria for the selection of lesions for ROI placement include the following: (1) Select a unique ROI for each bone region; 2) For MM patients with multiple focal pattern, the largest lesion in each region was selected as the target for ROI placement; (3) The minimum size of lesion selected for measurement was 5 mm in diameter; (4) For patients with diffuse pattern, the bone in each region with relatively large cross-sectional area and uniform signal was selected to place the ROI; (5) The ROI area for calculating ADC value is 10 mm 2 fixedly; and (6) The ROI was selected in the center of the lesion on the maximum slice as far as possible, avoiding measurement of the edge to avoid heterogeneous signals.…”

“…The severity of bone disease increases mortality (4). The incidence rate of MM worldwide is increasing, and more than 140,000 people are diagnosed as MM every year (5,6). The overall survival (OS) of MM patients was 30 months.…”

“…Thalidomide treatment could prolong the OS to 46 months and bone marrow transplantation to 48 months (7). Although with the change of treatment methods the 5-year survival rate of MM has increased from 28% to 56% (1975 to 2012) (5), the imaging methods that can effectively predict the prognosis of the disease still need to be explored. Therefore, a reliable, noninvasive imaging method for survival prediction is urgently needed.…”

Pretreatment Serum Levels of IL-1 Receptor Antagonist and IL-4 Are Predictors of Overall Survival in Multiple Myeloma Patients Treated with Bortezomib

“…According to the WHO, 176,404 new MM cases and 117,077 deaths due to MM occurred worldwide in 2020 [ 3 ]. Multiple myeloma usually occurs around the age of 60 and is more common in men than women [ 4 , 5 ].…”

“…Multiple myeloma is an incurable disease characterized by substantial morbidity and mortality [ 5 ]. However, survival of patients with MM has improved significantly over the past 15 years following the introduction of several novel therapeutic agents, including proteasome inhibitors (PI), immunomodulating agents (IMiD), and monoclonal antibodies [ 5 , 6 ]. In addition, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) significantly prolongs overall survival (OS) in younger patients.…”