MRD-guided treatment cessation in multiple myeloma

Minimal residual disease (MRD) entered the scientific lexicon in 1973, with the promise of immunotherapy to reduce tumour burden so that only MRD remained. 1 Baldwin RW Pimm MV BCG immunotherapy of a rat sarcoma. Br J Cancer. 1973; 28: 281-287 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar The term has since taken on a different meaning in multiple myeloma to denote the persistence of low-level disease. Minimal residual disease response-adapted therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MASTER): final report of the multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trialThis approach provided positive outcomes and a pathway for treatment cessation in most patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Outcomes for patients with ultra-high-risk multiple myeloma, defined as those with two or more HRCAs, remain unsatisfactory, and these patients should be prioritised for trials with early introduction of therapies with novel mechanisms of action. Full-Text PDF