Dr. Landgren on the Rationale For Examining Whole Genome Sequencing in Smoldering Myeloma

Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, the inaugural leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami Health System, discusses the rationale behind examining whole-genome sequencing in smoldering myeloma.

In a study that utilized whole genome sequencing to identify progressive and stable myeloma precursor conditions as 2 distinct entities, researchers focused on patients with low levels of disease, according to Landgren. When studying smoldering myeloma, this patient population already has a greater number of cells. As such, if 1000 patients are included in research such as this study, it is guaranteed that many of them will develop myeloma, Landgren says.

However, if a physician has 1000 patients with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, the proportion of those with myeloma is going to be lower. For individuals who are going to progress, the research is equally as important, Landgren says. Moreover, the research was difficult to conduct, as previous technology was not able to satisfy all needs, Landgren notes. For the first time, the study focused on whole-genome sequencing with a particular interest in patients with low disease burden, Landgren concludes.