Prognostic value of deep sequencing method for minimal residual disease detection in multiple myeloma

We assessed the prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in multiple myeloma(MM) patients using a sequencing-based platform in bone marrow samples from 133 MM patients in at least very good partial response (VGPR) after front-line therapy. Deep sequencing was carried out in patients in whom a high-frequency myeloma clone was identified and MRD was assessed using the IGH-VDJH, IGH-DJH, and IGK assays. The results were contrasted with those of multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) and allelespecific oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction (ASO-PCR). The applicability of deep sequencing was 91%. Concordance between sequencing and MFC and ASO-PCR was 83% and 85%, respectively. Patients who were MRD- by sequencing had a significantly longer time to tumor progression (TTP) (median 80 vs 31 months; P
This research project was supported by grants PS09/01370, PS09/1450, PI12/01761, and PI12/023121 from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias; RD12/10 Red de Cáncer (Cancer Network of Excellence) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain, and from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC, GCB120981SAN) and the CRIS foundation. This study was supported in part by research funding from Sequenta, Inc. (F.P., L.W., M.M., M.F.).