Understanding multiple myeloma pathogenesis in the bone marrow to identify new therapeutic targets.

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by complex heterogeneous cytogenetic abnormalities. The bone marrow microenvironment promotes multiple myeloma cell growth and resistance to conventional therapies. Although multiple myeloma remains incurable, novel targeted agents, used alone or in combination, have shown great promise to overcome conventional drug resistance and improve patient outcome. Recent oncogenomic studies have further advanced our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of multiple myeloma, providing the framework for new prognostic classification and identifying new therapeutic targets.