Pieter Sonneveld, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Hematology, Erasmus University Medical Center, discusses how the incorporation of genomic profiling will play into the overall management of patients with multiple myeloma.

Gene expression profiling should be introduced as a predictor in clinical trials to identify patients with high-risk disease, Sonnevald explains. This represents approximately 15% to 20% of patients with multiple myeloma.

If identified properly, these patients can be selected for different treatment modalities. This is becoming easier, he explains, with the various therapies now FDA approved in this setting.

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Dr. Sonneveld on Incorporating Genomic Profiling Into Myeloma Management

Pieter Sonneveld, MD, PhD, Head of the Department of Hematology, Erasmus University Medical Center, discusses the SKY92 prognostic indicator (MMPROFILER) for multiple myeloma.

Sonneveld and his team collected the DNA of tumors cells of more than 350 newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma. They then worked to identify which genes were overactive in the tumor cells of those patients and did a principal component analysis to find out what the most important genes that are relevant for the prognosis of those patients.

Ninety-two genes were identified that represent important pathways in multiple myeloma biology, says Sonneveld. Based on this data, a tool was created that can be used to predict the prognosis of individual myeloma patients or cohorts of patients in large clinical trials.

Pieter Sonneveld, MD, PhD

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Dr. Sonneveld on Incorporating Genomic Profiling Into Myeloma Management

Dr. Pieter Sonneveld on a Prognostic Indicator for Multiple Myeloma