This year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago ended last Tuesday.

The day before the meeting ended was the busiest day at the meeting with re­gard to myeloma research.  It featured a session of oral pre­sen­ta­tions in the morn­ing and a poster session in the afternoon. In addi­tion, an education ses­sion was held in the afternoon that included one myeloma-related talk, given by Dr. Leif Bergsagel of the Mayo Clinic, about progress in the treat­ment of mul­ti­ple myeloma (article in the ASCO 2014 Edu­ca­tional Book).

This update …

Results of a recent observational study show that all known molecular subtypes of multiple myeloma are already present at the early, smol­der­ing myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance stages of the disease.

According to the investigators, these findings indicate that the various molecular subtypes of myeloma, which have different genetic char­ac­ter­istics, are es­tab­lished early in the course of the disease.

The researchers defined the different molecular subtypes of myeloma they investigated based on a method called gene ex­pres­sion profiling. Using this method, they found that one subtype in particular was as­soc­i­ated …

A number of studies to be presented at this year’s American Society of Hema­tol­o­gy (ASH) meeting look at diseases that can progress to mul­ti­ple mye­lo­ma.

These 'myeloma precursor diseases,' as they are sometimes called, in­clude mono­clon­al gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering myeloma.

In today's ASH preview article, The Beacon turns its attention to myeloma pre­cursor diseases, reviewing the key studies about them that will be presented at ASH this weekend and early next week.

The results discussed in this article are those that have been …

Findings from a German retrospective study indicate that whole-body magnetic resonance imaging can help identify patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance who are at increased risk of progressing to symptomatic multiple myeloma.

The whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results show that almost one-fourth of the MGUS patients in the study had clearly defined (focal) lesions in their bone marrow.  These lesions, or areas of ab­nor­mal cells, were solely within the patients' bone marrows.  They were not lesions in the outer (hard) area of the bone -- lesions which are often called …

Spanish researchers recently developed a new model based on a technique called multiparameter flow cytometry that can identify newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with disease profiles similar to those of patients with the myeloma precursor disease monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.

The set of myeloma patients identified as having disease similar to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) had better disease status at diagnosis and better long-term survival than other newly diagnosed myeloma patients, regardless of the depth of their response to treatment.

In addition, the model was able to identify MGUS …

This year’s Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) is cur­rent­ly being held in Stockholm. It started earlier this week and will run through Sunday, June 16.

A substantial amount of myeloma-related research will be presented during the EHA meeting during both oral presentations and poster pre­sen­ta­tions.

This article summarizes some of the important myeloma-related findings that are expected to be presented during poster sessions today and to­mor­row. A previous article covered the key findings that will be pre­sented during oral pre­sen­ta­tions.

The studies covered in this article are primarily ones …