Good morning, myeloma world.

It's a Sunday, so it probably won't be too much of a surprise that today's list of new multiple myeloma-related research is rather short.

In fact, a quick check of our usual list of new multiple myeloma research – which we include at the end of every edition of Myeloma Morning – reveals that there are just three new studies.

We'll spend most of our time in today's report looking at a European study published on Friday. It investigates the genetics of peripheral neuropathy in multiple myeloma patients treated with Velcade (bortezomib).

Before we get to our discussion of that study, however, let us quickly mention the two other studies in today's list of new research.

First, there is a study by researchers in Montpellier, France and at the U.S. pharmaceutical company Celgene. The study authors report on laboratory research they've carried out examining the effect of Revlimid (lenalidomide) on the production of plasma cells – the “healthy counterpart” to myeloma cells, to use the authors' description of plasma cells (full text).

Second, there is a study by Chinese researchers which focuses on light chain deposition disease (LCDD). The study authors report on the characteristics of 48 patients with LCDD who were diagnosed at their treatment center. We mention this study because many people diagnosed with LCDD also have either multiple myeloma or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) (abstract)

A Genetic Link To Velcade-Related Peripheral Neuropathy

The study we mentioned about Velcade-related peripheral neuropathy is by researchers in France and the Netherlands. They report that some multiple myeloma patients who develop peripheral neuropathy when being treated with Velcade may be genetically predisposed to experiencing that side effect. The specifics of this genetic predisposition may allow researchers to develop treatments that reduce the tendency of Velcade – and perhaps other medications – to cause peripheral neuropathy (abstract).

The European researchers carried out a “genome-wide association study” of 469 multiple myeloma patients who were treated with Velcade and dexamethasone in several French clinical trials. The genome-wide association study looked at 370,605 different areas of the patients' genes to see if variations in any of those areas could be linked to the patients developing peripheral neuropathy.

Any potential genetic linkages the researchers found in the French trial participants were then tested in a group of 114 multiple myeloma patients who were treated with Velcade in a joint Dutch/German clinical trial. Using genetic data for those patients, the researchers tested whether the linkages they found in the French patients could predict peripheral neuropathy developing in the Dutch/German trial participants.

The study authors found a link between two specific areas of patients' genes and whether the patients were likely to develop peripheral neuropathy during Velcade treatment.

The authors also established that the genetic areas linked to peripheral neuropathy are responsible for the production of certain specific proteins found in nerve tissue and in the skin and blood.

Thus, future research could take advantage of these findings to investigate whether medications targeted at the proteins identified by the French and Dutch researchers can help prevent Velcade-related peripheral neuropathy.

New Myeloma-Related Research Articles

1. Jourdan, M. et al., “Differential effects of lenalidomide during plasma cell differentiation” in Oncotarget, April 4, 2016 (full text)
2. Li, X. M. et al., "Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of light chain deposition disease: an analysis of 48 patients in a single Chinese center," in Annals of Hematology, April 8, 2016 (abstract)
3. Magrangeas, F. et al., “A genome-wide association study identifies a novel locus for bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy in European multiple myeloma patients” in Clinical Cancer Research, April 8, 2016 (abstract)