Minimal residual disease detection of myeloma using sequencing of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene VDJ regions

After therapy or stem cell transplantation, multiple myeloma patients achieving complete response or stringent complete response can still have a significant risk of disease relapse. This highlights the importance of using highly sensitive laboratory methods for minimal residual disease detection and prognostication. Older methods such as allele-specific oligonucleotide real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and fluorescent polymerase chain reaction have their drawbacks. Meanwhile, the recent generation of multiparametric flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based detection methods currently offer the highest technical sensitivities, and are likely to gain more widespread use and be recognized as the standard of care for disease monitoring in myeloma patients.