Guest editorial: basic and clinical updates in multiple myeloma

Excerpt

Multiple myeloma is a form of B cell malignancy characterized by clonal proliferation of plasma cells within the bone marrow and complex heterogeneous cytogenetic abnormalities. Recent rapid advances in molecular and stem cell biology have been made over the last decade bringing progress in the development of new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Elucidation of the molecular pathogenesis of hematological malignancies has promoted the development of many agents targeting specific molecular pathways, and as a result therapeutic outcomes for these diseases have improved tremendously. As in other hematological malignancies such as leukemia, increasing numbers of cytogenetic and molecular genetic aberrations have been identified in multiple myeloma. These molecular abnormalities provide a better understanding of the biology of multiple myeloma and serve as the basis for targeted therapies. This drug development has been achieved through precise basic research followed by the clinical applications based on the results of large-scale, high-quality clinical trials. The excellent results obtained by molecular targeting through the integration of basic and clinical research are being seen in therapeutic outcomes of multiple myeloma. Novel agents such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which target myeloma cells and their microenvironments, have shown remarkable activity in clinical not only in initial multiple myeloma patients, but also in refractory/relapsed as well, achieving prolonged progression-free and overall survival of the disease. …