Talking to ecancer at the 17th European Haematology Association Congress in Amsterdam, Dr Niccolo Bolli discusses myeloma’s high relapse rate and drug resistance and aims to find the cause at cellular level.

Recently the concept of cancer as monoclonal, a tumour born from one set of cells, has been challenged because as tumour cells replicate, they acquire new alterations, making the tumour totally different to when it first appeared.

With current myeloma treatment, 80% of cells are killed in a good response. However, the ones that are not killed in first line treatment cause the problem of relapse and resistance. Dr Bolli also highlights advances in treatment with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone.

Filming supported by Amgen