Dr. Radich on the Utility of MRD in Hematologic Malignancies

Jerald P. Radich, MD, member, Clinical Research Division, Kurt Enslein Endowed Chair, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and professor, University of Washington School of Medicine, discusses the utility of minimal residual disease (MRD) in hematologic malignancies.

MRD status can be used to predict long-term responses in acute leukemias like acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, says Radich. A patient who is MRD positive following induction or consolidation therapy is at an increased risk of relapse after transplant. MRD can also shed light on the biology of the disease, explains Radich.

In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the depth of patients’ major molecular response is used to determine which patients can discontinue treatment, says Radich. The same principles may be used as a model in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma where prolonged rates of MRD negativity may guide when patients can discontinue maintenance therapy, concludes Radich.