Researchers in Australia have found a biomarker for multiple myeloma that could help doctors identify high-risk patients for more personalized treatment, El.kz cites Xinhua.
The study found that high levels of the protein Desmoglein-2 (DSG2) were strongly associated with significantly shorter survival in patients with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow and the world's second most common blood cancer, according to a statement released by Australia's Adelaide University on Tuesday.
Researchers from Adelaide University and SA Pathology in the state of South Australia analyzed clinical and genomic data from 678 newly diagnosed patients and found that those with the highest DSG2 levels were linked to a significantly increased risk of disease progression and death compared to those with the lowest levels.
The protein remained a strong predictor of patient outcomes even after accounting for age, disease stage, treatment type and stem cell transplantation, according to the findings published in the British Journal of Haematology.
Lead author Professor Claudine Bonder from Adelaide University's Center for Cancer Biology said high DSG2 levels could identify patients with a particularly aggressive type of multiple myeloma that "may not be captured by existing risk-stratification approaches."
The findings suggest DSG2 testing could complement existing risk-stratification screening used at diagnosis by helping clinicians identify patients with aggressive disease earlier and tailor treatment accordingly.
Further studies are needed to validate the findings and investigate whether DSG2 itself could become a target for future therapies, researchers said.
