A new technique developed by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute makes it possible to detect tumor cells in people at heightened risk for multiple myeloma, assess risk of progression in patients with myeloma, and track genetic changes in tumor cells over time – all from a small blood sample.
The approach, known as MinimuMM-seq, has the potential to replace a bone marrow biopsy as the standard method of screening people for conditions that often precede myeloma and of determining the extent of the disease, the researchers report in a study posted online today by the journal Cancer Discovery. Because it requires only a blood draw, MinimuMM-seq is less intrusive and painful for patients than a bone marrow biopsy, which involves inserting a needle into bone, withdrawing a small amount of marrow, and examining it for signs of cancer.
