title: Detection of tumor-specific marker for minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Multiple myeloma (MM), the second most common hematological cancer, is a lymphoproliferative disease of terminally differentiated B lymphocytes characterized by expansion of monoclonal plasma cells. With the introduction of new drugs, MM has become a hard-to-treat disease. The aim of treatment is clinical remission and eradication of clinical manifestations but most MM patients eventually relapse. For this reason, more accurate monitoring of remission and relapse using molecular biology techniques is at the center of attention.
  
  
  METHODS
  For monitoring, we used allele-specific PCR and quantitative real-time PCR based on specific detection of VDJ immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement of clonal cells for monitoring. The hypervariable region of IgH rearrangement is used for detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in MM as this sequence is used for allele-specific primers and probe design. This technique is a complementary tool for flow cytometry in MRD detection; however, it has not been established in the Czech Republic so far.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Qualitative and quantitative MRD detection was performed in 50% (5/10) patients and qualitative MRD detection in another 3 oligoclonal patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Next to flow cytometry, detection of MRD by qPCR is a viable option and has been introduced in the Czech Republic.
authors.affiliation: Babak Myeloma Group, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sedlarikova
authors.affiliation: Babak Myeloma Group, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.|Department of Clinical Hematology, University Hospital Brno.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kubiczkova
authors.affiliation: Babak Myeloma Group, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Fedor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kryukov
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine - Hematooncology, University Hospital Brno.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pelcova
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine - Hematooncology, University Hospital Brno.
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine - Hematooncology, University Hospital Brno.
authors.forename: Ludek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pour
authors.affiliation: Babak Myeloma Group, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.|Department of Clinical Hematology, University Hospital Brno.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hajek
authors.affiliation: Babak Myeloma Group, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.|Department of Clinical Hematology, University Hospital Brno.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sevcikova
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D007142:Immunoglobulin gamma-Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007142:Immunoglobulin gamma-Chains
keywords: ASO PCR; IgH gene rearrangement; RQ-PCR; minimal residual disease; multiple myeloma; tumor-specific marker