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Alcohol Consumption May Reduce Risk Of Developing Myeloma – Results from a recent retrospective study suggest that alcohol consumption may be associ­ated with a reduced risk of multiple myeloma. The researchers analyzed data from 1,567 myeloma patients and 7,296 healthy individuals from a number of treatment centers across the world that are part of the International Multiple Myeloma Consortium. Their findings show that people who ever drank alcohol had a lower risk of multiple myeloma compared to those who never drank. This association was true for all types of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, and liquor) that the researchers examined. However, the researchers did not find any relationship between the frequency of alcohol consumption or cumulative intake of alcohol and the rate of myeloma. The investigators note that this is the largest investigation so far of the relationship between alcohol consumption and multiple myeloma. However, they caution that their findings need to be confirmed by prospective studies. For more information, please see the study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (abstract).

Deletions In Chromosome 1 Linked To Poor Multiple Myeloma Prognosis – French researchers have linked deletions in specific regions of chromosome 1, called 1p22 (15 percent of myeloma patients) and 1p32 (7 percent), to poor myeloma prognosis. Compared to patients without either deletion, patients with the deletions showed shorter progression-free survival  (19.8 months with 1p22 deletion and 14.4 months with 1p32 deletion versus 33.6 months without either deletion) and shorter overall survival (44.2 months with 1p22 deletion and 26.7 months with 1p32 deletion versus 96.8 months without either deletion). Based on the dramatic of impact of the 1p32 deletion on survival, the researchers recommend that all myeloma pa­tients be tested for it at diagnosis. The French investigators used a technique called fluorescence in situ hy­brid­ization (FISH) to detect 1p22 and 1p32 deletions in samples from 1,195 myeloma patients under the age of 66 years. About two thirds of the study participants received induction therapy with the older chemother­a­py combination regimen of vincristine (Oncovin), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and dexamethasone (Deca­dron), while the other third received induction therapy with a Velcade (bortezomib)-based regimen.  After their induction therapy, all patients underwent autologous stem cell transplantation with high-dose melphalan (Alkeran). The negative impact of the chromosome 1 deletions was seen regardless of a patient's induction regimen.  For further information, please see the study in Leukemia (abstract).

Researchers Identify Genetic Variations Associated With Increased Risk Of Multiple Myeloma – British and German researchers recently identified four specific chromosomal regions that differ significantly be­tween multiple myeloma patients and healthy individuals. These regions are present on chromosomes 3, 6, 17, and 22, and denoted as 3q26.2, 6p21.33, 17p11.2, and 22q13.1, respectively. The investigators note that the 3q26.2 region is associated with a gene called TERC (telomerase RNA component) that regulates the length of chromosomes and the aging of cells.  Genetic variations of this gene allow cancer cells to avoid the aging process and continue to divide. The findings are based on a comparison of the genetic make-up of 4,692 myeloma patients and 10,990 healthy individuals. This British-German research group previously identified three other genetic regions linked to increased risk for myeloma (see related Beacon news). In the future, the group's findings could lead to tests that determine a person's risk of developing myeloma, and to the development of new treatments for the disease.  For more information, please see the press release from the Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom and the study in Nature Genetics (abstract).