Dr. Munshi on Testing for MRD in Multiple Myeloma

Nikhil C. Munshi, MD, director of Basic and Correlative Science, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Kraft Family Chair, senior physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, discusses ways to test for minimal residual disease (MRD) in multiple myeloma.

MRD should be evaluated through next-generation sequencing (NGS) or next-generation flow cytometry. There are advantages and limitations to each method, says Munshi. For example, with flow cytometry, the sample has to be evaluated immediately because it can’t be stored. While NGS can be put in storage for several days, a sample from initial diagnosis is needed to evaluate the clone, explains Munshi.

Although NGS has slightly less utility in the overall population, either method can be used as long as the assay has a sensitivity of 10^-6, concludes Munshi.