How to Think About Risk in Myeloma

An integral part of myeloma therapy is risk stratification of newly diagnosed patients. This method involves a combination of staging and genetic risk assessment. Although survival has dramatically improved for patients with genetically defined, standard-risk myeloma, those with high-risk disease remain a therapeutic challenge. Current treatment approaches might include the use of combination therapy for induction and maintenance. Future approaches are expected to involve drugs that are “risk agnostic,” such as monoclonal antibodies and immunotherapy.