Dr. Maura on the Significance of Studying Myeloma Genomic Defining Events

Francesco Maura, MD, an assistant professor and principal investigator of the myeloma genomic lab at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the significance of studying genomic defining events in patients with multiple myeloma.

A study that utilized whole-genome sequencing to identify progressive and stable myeloma precursor conditions as 2 distinct entities, set out to answer 2 important questions within the myeloma community, according to Maura. One is if a patient progresses, experts in the field wish to know their predictive risk. Researchers have published important studies demonstrating that specific genomic drivers are associated with patients who experience progressive disease, Maura says.

The majority of the population in the study included patients with smoldering myeloma due to the high number of cells that can be collected, he says. Moreover, exome and targeted platforms were utilized for this research. These technologic advances are focused on a small fraction of genomes, Maura concludes.