A study published in BMC Medicine in September 2008 shows that a link between genetic variations and cancer survival can help in treating multiple myeloma patients. Brian Van Ness, a scientist at the University of Minnesota, is the principal investigator of the study and designer of the research project. He collaborated with other scientists throughout the United States and London, United Kingdom.

The main principle behind the research is that there are large genetic variations in the human genome, called polymorphisms. One type of polymorphism called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, account for over 90 percent of the variation between genomes of individuals. The idea is that clinical outcomes of such diseases as multiple myeloma can be influenced by these individual differences.

In addition to the common clinical features of multiple myeloma (anemia, bone lesions, immunodeficiency), differences in morphology, disease progression, and response to therapy exist between patients. These differences are due to the genetic abnormalities in plasma cells in bone marrow. Thus, genetic variation can have a large impact on the disease progression and response to treatment.

The study compared the DNA of 143 myeloma patients with DNA representative of Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian racial groups. The researchers streamlined the possible variations by only looking at the genes that affected tumor progression and response.

The results of the study showed that disease progression, response, and survival varied among patients. Evidence from this and previous studies suggest that range of patient responses to treatment is due to the heterogeneity in the tumor cells. Additionally, the results also showed varied responses in disease progression in different populations. Further studies examining SNPs related to tumor growth can lead to individualized treatment for multiple myeloma patients.

The entire article can be found in the September 2008 issue of BMC Medicine.