Liquid Biopsies in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy. It is a heterogeneous disease characterized by focal lesions of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Since bone marrow biopsy is a single-site procedure, its potential is limited in discovering the many clones present in each patient. Thus, a new approach, liquid biopsy, seems to be more relevant in today’s world. Liquid biopsy can analyze circulating tumor cells or various circulating molecules (cell-free DNA, microRNA, long non-coding RNA and many others) that originated from the various tumor sites and thus will represent many different subclones. This review summarized current situation in research of liquid biopsies in multiple myeloma

Long Non-Coding RNAs in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematooncological disease of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. While new treatment brought unprecedented increase of survival of patients, MM pathogenesis is yet to be clarified. Increasing evidence of expression of long non-coding RNA molecules (lncRNA) linked to development and progression of many tumors suggested their important role in tumorigenesis. To date, over 15,000 lncRNA molecules characterized by diversity of function and specificity of cell distribution were identified in the human genome. Due to their involvement in proliferation, apoptosis, metabolism, and differentiation, they have a key role in the biological processes and pathogenesis of many diseases, including MM. This review summarizes current knowledge of non-coding RNAs (ncRNA), especially lncRNAs, and their role in MM pathogenesis. Undeniable involvement of lncRNAs in MM development suggests their potential as biomarkers