Multiple myeloma patients who have achieved complete remission still test positive for the pre-plasma cells which are thought to generate malignant tumour cells. This suggests that current treatments are not sufficient to cure patients. Prof Pieter Sonneveld discusses how researchers are able to detect these cells and emphasises the need for drugs which target these cells more strongly. Prof Sonneveld goes on to talk about the development of effective gene profiling techniques for the malignant cells in plasma cell leukaemia, the discovery of new prognostic markers and his hopes for clinical trials investigating new agents to mobilise stem cells and kill myeloma stem cells.

This programme has been supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Janssen Pharmaceutica (A Johnson & Johnson Company).