Advances in technology have led to innovation in treating diseases that were considered incurable in the past. However, challenges still arise in trying to prevent such health conditions. For instance, cancer tends to return after being treated due to the resistance of cancer cells against the drugs used. Sometimes, no effective options can give hope after several treatment sessions.
To address this challenge, a new screening platform was adapted by a group of researchers to look for the effectiveness of different treatments against a patient's cancer cells. This sheds light on treatment outcomes with higher success rates.
State-of-the-Art Method for Treatment Evaluation
A rare type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma results from an excessive abundance of abnormal plasma cells. Also known as Kahler's disease, this disorder is characterized by an unusual increase of monoclonal immunoglobulins.
The disease remains incurable despite the currently approved drugs and treatment strategies for multiple myelomas, such as immunotherapy. Patients diagnosed with this disease have an average life expectancy of only five years.
Professor Berend Snijder of ETH Zurich developed a high-throughput screening strategy known as pharmacology and worked with a team of researchers to test the success rate of cancer treatments. This platform was previously used in similar research studies involving blood cancer, such as lymphomas and leukemias, but they adapted the strategy for this study.
In this study, 138 bone marrow biopsies were collected from 89 patients with different stages of multiple myeloma. Using the pharmacology developed by Professor Snijder, they observed how the cancer cells respond to approved drugs and drug combinations in each biopsy. Then they examined the appearance of the cells to determine the best treatment approach for each myeloma patient.
This newly adapted medical strategy can be transferred to the clinic. It can provide opportunities for doctors to identify the best options for the patients at the onset of the disease. However, Snijder confirms that they must further validate the approach in clinical trials.
The Snijder laboratory also plans to utilize the platform further for its expansion to solid tumors.
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A Closer Look at Multiple Myeloma
At the center of our bones are spongy tissues known as the bone marrow, which produce the blood cells of our body. When cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, they can crowd out the normal blood cells and develop multiple myeloma.
According to the National Health Service, this disease can also spread to other body areas, such as the spine, pelvis, and ribs. Although it may not show symptoms in its early stage, it can eventually result in a wide range of health problems. This makes multiple myeloma challenging to diagnose.
Conventional treatment options for multiple myeloma include chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, and using drugs such as steroids. These treatment strategies can often help control symptoms, but the disease itself is not cured. As reported by Nature Journal, these treatment regimens may improve patient survival, but almost all patients relapse. This means an additional treatment is required when the cancer cells return.
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