A CD138-independent strategy to detect minimal residual disease and circulating tumour cells in multiple myeloma

Barbara Muz, Pilar de la Puente, Feda Azab, Micah John Luderer, Justin King, Ravi Vij, Abdel Kareem Azab

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

CD138 (also termed SDC1) has been the gold-standard surface marker to detect multiple myeloma (MM) cells for decades; however, drug-resistant residual and circulating MM cells were shown to have lower expression of this marker. In this study, we have shown that residual MM cells following bortezomib treatment are hypoxic. This combination of drug exposure and hypoxia down-regulates their CD138 expression, thereby making this marker unsuitable for detecting residual or other hypoxic MM cells, such as circulating tumour cells, in MM. Hence, we developed an alternative biomarker set which detects myeloma cells independent of their hypoxic and CD138 expression status in vitro, in vivo and in primary MM patients. The new markers were able to identify a clonal CD138-negative population as minimal residual disease in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of MM patients. Further investigation to characterize the role of this population as a prognostic marker in MM is warranted.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)70-81
Number of pages12
JournalBritish Journal of Haematology
Volume173
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2016

Keywords

  • Cell surface antigens
  • Diagnostic haematology
  • Flow cytometry
  • Haematological malignancy
  • Minimal residual disease
  • Multiple myeloma

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