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PURPOSE Binary cardiac response assessment using cardiac biomarkers is prognostic in light chain amyloidosis. Previous studies suggested four-level cardiac responses using N-terminal prohormone of brain natiuretic peptide improves prognostic prediction. This study was designed to validate graded cardiac response criteria using N-terminal prohormone of brain natiuretic peptide/brain natiuretic peptide. PATIENTS AND METHODS This retrospective, multicenter study included patients with light chain amyloidosis who achieved at least a hematologic partial response (PR) and were evaluable for cardiac response. Four response criteria were tested on the basis of natriuretic peptide response depth: cardiac complete response (CarCR), cardiac very good partial response (CarVGPR), cardiac PR (CarPR), and cardiac no response (CarNR). Response was classified as best response and at fixed time points (6, 12, and 24 months from therapy initiation). The study primary outcome was overall survival. RESULTS 651 patients were included. Best CarCR, CarVGPR, CarPR, and CarNR were achieved in 16%, 26.4%, 22.9%, and 34.7% of patients, respectively. Patients in cardiac stage II were more likely to achieve CarCR than patients in cardiac stage IIIA and IIIB (22% v 13.5% v 3.2%; P < .001). A deeper cardiac response was associated with a longer survival (5-year overall survival 93%, 79%, 65%, and 33% for CarCR, CarVGPR, CarPR, and CarNR, respectively; P < .001). Fixed time-point analyses and time-varying covariates Cox regression analysis, to minimize survivorship bias, affirmed the independent survival advantage of deeper cardiac responses. Four-level response performed better than two-level response as early as 12 months from therapy initiation. CONCLUSION Graded cardiac response criteria allow better assessment of cardiac improvement compared with the traditional binary response system. The study re-emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, which increases the likelihood of deep cardiac responses.

Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is considered an incurable hematologic malignancy despite a plethora of standard and novel agents. There is no consensus on the optimal sequencing of available therapies in relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM), even in the second line setting. Novel agents such as selinexor (XPOVIO [X]), an oral, first-in-class selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compound that blocks XPO1, or those that target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), have shown significant activity in RRMM. X is approved with bortezomib (V) and dexamethasone (XVd) in patients (pts) with at least 1 prior therapy and is not associated with known long-term clinically significant toxicities such as visual loss, cardiac dysfunction, renal failure, neuropathy, irreversible bone marrow suppression, second malignancies, venous thromboembolism, or rash. Currently, BCMA-targeting agents include 1 form each of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) and antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapy approved in RRMM: idecabtagene vicleucel and belantamab mafodotin, respectively. BCMA-refractory MM represents an area of unmet need in MM without known standards for best treatment. Various novel combinations with X have demonstrated strong benefit in RRMM after 1 or more lines of therapy and activity even in CAR-T cell BCMA-refractory MM (N=7): 1 pt stringent complete (sCR), 3 very good partial (VGPR), 2 partial (PR), and 1 minimal (MR) response (Chari BJH 2020). Here we report on the outcomes of heavily pretreated RRMM pts, a majority of whom had received ADC-BCMA, and who were treated with X-containing regimens on the STOMP trial. Methods STOMP (NCT02343042) is a phase 1b/2, multi-arm, open-label trial of various combinations of X with backbone agents for pts with RRMM or newly diagnosed MM. Here we report on all pts in STOMP with prior anti-BCMA treatment who were treated on STOMP with X+pomalidomide +dexamethasone (XPd); XVd; X+carfilzomib+d (XKd); XPVd; and XPd+elotuzumab (E) (XPEd). Results In total, 11 pts with prior anti-BCMA therapy (6 pts with belantamab mafodotin; 1 each with MEDI2228, SEA-BCMA, BCMA BITE; 2 with idecabtagene vicleucel) were treated with 5 X-containing regimens (Table 1): 9 pts were treated with triplets XPd (4), XVd (3), or XKd (2) and 2 pts with quadruplets XPVd (1) or XPEd (1). Median age was 71 years (range 46-85), 7 pts (63.6%) were women, 11 pts were white. Median duration from MM diagnosis to treatment with a STOMP regimen was 6.9 years (range 2.3-12.8). Five pts (45.5%) had high-risk cytogenetics; pts received median of 6 prior therapies (range 4-10). Eight pts (72.7%) received anti-BCMA in their immediate prior line of therapy. Ten pts (90.9%) were previously treated with all backbone drugs of the STOMP treatments (i.e., X was the only new drug). The overall response rate (ORR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR) for the prior anti-BCMA-containing regimens were 40.0% (2 pts VGPR, 2 PR, 5 stable disease [SD], 1 progressive disease, 1 unknown). Median progression free survival (PFS) was 1.8 months (95% CI: 1.5, NE), and the 6-month PFS probability was 12.5% (95% CI: 2.1, 76.2). ORR for the X-based treatments was 54.5% and CBR was 81.8%: 1 pt VGPR, 5 PR, 3 MR, 2 SD. Median PFS was not reached (95% CI: 5.9, NE) and the 6-month PFS probability was 68.6% (95% CI: 40.3, 100.0). Median overall survival was 10.5 months (95% CI: 9.6, NE) and median time to discontinuation was 8.1 months (95% CI: 6.1, NE). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were nausea and thrombocytopenia. Nausea was Grade (G) 1/2 (n=8, 72.7%); thrombocytopenia G1-4 in 8 pts (72.7%), 4 with ≥G3; there were no concurrent bleeding events. One pt on XPEd died of pulmonary nocardiosis considered to be associated with the 4-drug regimen. No new safety signals or long-term toxicities due to X were reported. Conclusions In this follow-up cohort of heavily pretreated pts, a majority of whom with MM refractory to ADC-BCMA, we demonstrate impressive potency and durability of the X-based treatments, particularly as compared to that of their prior anti-BCMA therapies. These data support the rationale for the development of novel regimens containing X plus immunomodulatory drugs or proteasome inhibitors in earlier lines of therapy, including first relapse, and further suggest their strong value in the emerging BCMA RRMM space. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Baljevic: Exelixis: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen Research: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Gasparetto: Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Gsk: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Oncopeptide: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Schiller: Sangamo: Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celator: Research Funding; Geron: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; PrECOG: Research Funding; Onconova: Research Funding; Pfizer: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Research Funding; Genentech-Roche: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Forma: Research Funding; Deciphera: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Research Funding; Stemline Therapeutics, Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Regimmune: Research Funding; FujiFilm: Research Funding; Gamida Cell Ltd.: Research Funding; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Mateon: Research Funding; Astellas: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Arog: Research Funding; Delta-Fly: Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Samus: Research Funding; Actuate: Research Funding; Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Research Funding; Trovagene: Research Funding; Agios: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Elevate: Research Funding; Bio: Research Funding; Ono-UK: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pharma: Consultancy; Johnson & Johnson: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Biomed Valley Discoveries: Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; ASH foundation: Other: Chair-unpaid; Sellas: Research Funding; Ono: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy; Ariad: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Kaiser Permanente: Consultancy; Cyclacel: Research Funding; MedImmune: Research Funding; Ambit: Research Funding; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Research Funding; Bluebird Bio: Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingleheim: Research Funding; Cellerant: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Kura Oncology: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Millennium: Research Funding; National Marrow Donor Program: Research Funding; NIH: Research Funding; Onyx: Research Funding; Pharmamar: Research Funding; UC Davis: Research Funding; UCSD: Research Funding; Evidera: Consultancy; NCI: Consultancy; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Tuchman: Caelum: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi / Genzyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Shattuck Labs: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy. Lentzsch: Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celularity: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; Caelum Biosciences: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Ossium Health: Consultancy; Magenta Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Kadmon: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Monge: Karyopharm: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Kotb: Celgene: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Pfizer: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck: Honoraria, Research Funding; Akcea: Honoraria. Bahlis: GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Genentech: Consultancy. White: Forus: Consultancy, Honoraria; Antengene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Chen: BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astrazeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy. Sutherland: GSK: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy. Madan: Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Leblanc: Celgene/BMS: Research Funding; BMS/Celgene Canada: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen Canada: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen Canada: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi Canada: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda Canada: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sebag: Janssen: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Myers-Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Venner: Janssen: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Celgene: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Bensinger: BMS, Janssen, Poseida, Regeneron, Trillium: Research Funding; Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Sanofi: Speakers Bureau. DeCastro: Karyopharm: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Van Domelen: Karyopharm: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Bentur: Karyopharm Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Zhang: Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Shah: Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Shacham: Karyopharm: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Patents & Royalties: (8999996, 9079865, 9714226, PCT/US12/048319, and I574957) on hydrazide containing nuclear transport modulators and uses, and pending patents PCT/US12/048319, 499/2012, PI20102724, and 2012000928) . Kauffman: Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Lipe: Seagen Inc.: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; sanofi: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; amgen: Research Funding; Cellectar: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Harpoon: Research Funding.

Background: Both multiple myeloma and its precursor, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), occur twice as often within Black compared with White populations, suggesting that racial disparities lie within the development of MGUS. Nonetheless, MGUS has been studied mainly in White cohorts; the study that first described the natural history of MGUS was conducted in 97.3% White Olmsted County, Minnesota. Methods: We determined the prevalence of MGUS among 386 Black South African (SA) men >30 years at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg. We conducted serum protein electrophoresis and free light chain quantification to define MGUS by the same criteria as the Olmsted County studies. We also investigated the association between MGUS and various clinical factors, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and smoking. Results: We found the prevalence of MGUS to be 8.03% [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.32–10.74], nearly 1.6-fold higher than in the White Olmsted County male population. In a univariable logistic regression model, MGUS was associated with HIV status (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 0.95–5.49), but in an adjusted model that included body mass index and cigarette use, the association was not statistically significant. Those who were current (vs. never) cigarette smokers were more likely to have MGUS in both univariable (OR, 5.60; 95% CI, 2.16–17.42) and multivariable models (OR, 4.49; 95% CI, 1.63–14.56). Conclusions: The prevalence of MGUS in Black SA men is substantially higher than in White populations and may be associated with HIV status and cigarette use. Impact: Racial disparities in MGUS exist and may be associated with potentially modifiable risk factors.

Supplementary Table 1

Patients with multiple myeloma have a compromised immune system, due to both the disease and antimyeloma therapies, and may therefore be particularly susceptible to COVID-19. Here, we report outcomes and risk factors for serious disease in patients with multiple myeloma treated at five large academic centers in New York City in the spring of 2020, during which it was a global epicenter of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Of 100 patients with multiple myeloma (male 58%; median age 68) diagnosed with COVID-19, 75 were admitted; of these, 13 patients (17%) were placed on invasive mechanical ventilation, and 22 patients (29%) expired. Of the 25 nonadmitted patients, 4 were asymptomatic. There was a higher risk of adverse outcome (intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, or death) in Hispanics/Latinos (n = 21), OR = 4.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.3–16.7), and African American Blacks (n = 33), OR = 3.5 (1.1–11.5), as compared with White patients (n = 36). Patients who met the adverse combined endpoint had overall higher levels of inflammatory markers and cytokine activation. None of the other studied risk factors were significantly associated (P > 0.05) with adverse outcome: hypertension (n = 56), OR = 2.2 (0.9–5.4); diabetes (n = 18), OR = 0.9 (0.3–2.9); age >65 years (n = 63), OR = 1.8 (0.7–4.6); high-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplant n = 7), OR = 0.9 (0.2–5.4); and immunoglobulin G n = 42), OR = 0.9 (0.3–2.2). In this largest cohort to date of patients with multiple myeloma and COVID-19, we found the case fatality rate to be 29% among hospitalized patients and that race/ethnicity was the most significant risk factor for adverse outcome.Significance:Patients with multiple myeloma are immunocompromised, raising the question whether they are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease. In this large case series on COVID-19 in patients with multiple myeloma, we report 29% mortality rates among hospitalized patients and identify race/ethnicity as the most significant risk factor for severe outcome.See related video: https://vimeo.com/486246183/559a80cfaeSee related commentary by Munshi and Anderson, p. 218.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 215

PDF file - 52K, Confirmation of drug resistant phenotype of RPMI-multiple myeloma cell lines.

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PDF file - 199K, Nocodazole induces microtubular network disarray and morphologic elongation in multiple myeloma cells.

PDF file - 43K, Effects of nocodazole alone or in combination with dexamethasone on myeloma tumor growth.

We identified nocodazole as a potent antimyeloma drug from a drug screening library provided by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Nocodazole is a benzimidazole that was originally categorized as a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug with antineoplastic properties. We found that nocodazole inhibited growth and induced apoptosis of primary and multiresistant multiple myeloma cells cultured alone and in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells. Nocodazole caused cell-cycle prophase and prometaphase arrest accompanied by microtubular network disarray. Signaling studies indicated that increased expression of Bim protein and reduced X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein and Mcl-1L levels were involved in nocodazole-induced apoptosis. Further investigation showed Bcl-2 phosphorylation as a critical mediator of cell death, triggered by the activation of c-jun-NH2 kinase (JNK) instead of p38 kinase or extracellular signal–regulated kinases. Treatment with JNK inhibitor decreased Bcl-2 phosphorylation and subsequently reduced nocodazole-induced cell death. Nocodazole combined with dexamethasone significantly inhibited myeloma tumor growth and prolonged survival in a human xenograft mouse model. Our studies show that nocodazole has potent antimyeloma activity and that targeting the microtubular network might be a promising new treatment approach for multiple myeloma. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(10); 1886–96. ©2011 AACR.

We performed a retrospective cohort study in AL amyloidosis to investigate the impact of light chain (LC) isotype on clinical features in 112 consecutive patients. Patients with kappa LC isotype had a significantly higher difference in free light chain (dFLC) (median, 61.5 vs. 21.6 mg/dL

Selinexor (KPT-330) is a small molecule inhibitor of XPO1 (exportin 1, Chromosome Region Maintenance 1/CRM1), which mediates the transport of tumor suppressor proteins, oncogene mRNAs and other proteins involved in governing cell growth, from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm. It is often overexpressed in many cancer types. Since eukaryotic translation initiator factor 4E (eIF4E) plays a critical role in cancer protein translation in multiple myeloma (MM), we evaluated the effectiveness of combined inhibition of protein translation and with a nuclear export inhibitor in MM. Selinexor, an nuclear protein inhibitor of nuclear protein export, dose-dependently decreased eIF4E, IKZF1 and c-MYC protein levelsinhibits eIF4E-directed translation of oncoproteins such as IKZF1 and c-MYC.. Using a doxycycline- inducible pLKO-Tet-On vector, knockdown of eIF4E significantly enhanced the antiproliferative effects of selinexor, sensitized resistant MM cells to selinexor, and increased apoptosis in MM cells. Immunofluorescent analysis of MM cells showed that the combined treatment increased localization of residual eIF4E to the nucleus compared with selinexor treatment alone. In vivo studies showed that eIF4E knockdown enhanced the anti-tumor activity of selinexor in mice. Overexpression of eIF4E at least partially rescued the effects of selinexor in MM cells by reducing G1 cell cycle arrest as well as increasing the selinexor-IC50 10-fold. Moreover, the combination of selinexor with pharmacologic inhibitors of protein translation showed synergistic anti-MM effects. These results suggest a synergistic anti-MM effects of selinexor combined with eIF4E inhibitors in vitro. Our work provides a better understanding of the potential mechanism of resistance to selinexor and a rationale for combining selinexor with eIF4E inhibitors for the treatment of MM.

Introduction Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous group of diseases that most often presents with advanced cardiac pathology. Another presentation of the disease can include symptoms consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome; however, the true incidence of amyloidosis in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome remains unclear. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review on all patients who underwent an open carpal tunnel release, with tenosynovium biopsy by a single surgeon between 01/2000 and 12/2018. Samples were stored in formalin following hematoxylin-eosin or congo red staining. A total of 199 patients were excluded for incomplete records, and carpal tunnel release performed for traumatic or infectious etiologies. Histologic findings of the attending pathologist were examined and categorized as follows: amyloidosis, fibrous tissue, tenosynovitis/inflammation edematous, benign tenosynovium, and gout. Results Exactly 898 open carpal tunnel releases were performed, and 699 patients were included for final analysis. In all patients, biopsies for histology with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining were taken; in those HE stains where amylogenic proteins were suspected (73 or 10.4%), a subsequent congo red staining was additionally performed which confirmed the diagnosis of amyloidosis in 10 patients (1.4% of the carpal tunnel procedures). Overall, 10 patients were identified and constituted 1.4% of all HE stains (n = 10/699) and 13.7% of all congo red stains (n = 10/73). Conclusion Our results suggest that the incidence of amyloidosis in the general CTS patient population may be as high as 1.4% with routine screening by synovial biopsy and the diagnosis should be considered as a potential cause. Level of Evidence: III, retrospective study.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy associated with several risk factors including genetic aberrations which impact disease response and survival. Thorough risk classification is essential to select the best clinical strategy to optimize outcomes. The SKY92 molecular signature classifies patients as standard- or high-risk for progression. The PRospective Observational Multiple Myeloma Impact Study (PROMMIS; NCT02911571) measures impact of SKY92 on risk classification and treatment plan. Newly diagnosed MM patients had bone marrow aspirates analyzed for SKY92. Physicians completed a questionnaire for each patient capturing risk classification, hypothetical treatment plan, and physician confidence in the treatment plan, before and after unblinding SKY92. One hundred forty seven MM patients were enrolled. Before unblinding SKY92, physicians regarded 74 (50%) patients as clinical standard-risk. After unblinding SKY92, 16 patients were re-assigned as high-risk by the physician, and for 15 of them treatment strategy was impacted, resulting in an escalated treatment plan. For the 73 (50%) clinical high-risk patients, SKY92 indicated 46 patients to be standard-risk; for 31 of these patients the treatment strategy was impacted consistent with a de-escalation of risk. Overall, SKY92 impacted treatment decisions in 37% of patients (

In multiple myeloma (MM), frequent mutations of NRAS, KRAS, or BRAF are found in up to 50% of newly diagnosed patients. The majority of the NRAS, KRAS, and BRAF mutations occur in hotspots causing constitutive activation of the corresponding proteins. Thus, targeting RAS mutation in MM will increase therapeutic efficiency and potentially overcome drug resistance. We identified germinal center kinase (GCK) as a novel therapeutic target in MM with RAS mutation. GCK knockdown (KD) in MM cells demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that silencing of GCK induces MM cell growth inhibition, associated with blocked MKK4/7-JNK phosphorylation and impaired degradation of IKZF1/3, BCL-6, and c-MYC. These effects were rescued by overexpression of a short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-resistant GCK, thereby excluding the potential off-target effects of GCK KD. In contrast, overexpression of shRNA-resistant GCK kinase-dead mutant (K45A) inhibited MM cell proliferation and failed to rescue the effects of GCK KD on MM growth inhibition, indicating that GCK kinase activity is critical for regulating MM cell proliferation and survival. Importantly, the higher sensitivity to GCK KD in RASMut cells suggests that targeting GCK is effective in MM, which harbors RAS mutations. In accordance with the effects of GCK KD, the GCK inhibitor TL4-12 dose-dependently downregulated IKZF1 and BCL-6 and led to MM cell proliferation inhibition accompanied by induction of apoptosis. Here, our data identify GCK as a novel target in RASMut MM cells, providing a rationale to treat RAS mutations in MM. Furthermore, GCK inhibitors might represent an alternative therapy to overcome immunomodulatory drug resistance in MM.

In this Policy Review, the Bone Working Group of the International Myeloma Working Group updates its clinical practice recommendations for the management of multiple myeloma-related bone disease. After assessing the available literature and grading recommendations using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) method, experts from the working group recommend zoledronic acid as the preferred bone-targeted agent for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, with or without multiple myeloma-related bone disease. Once patients achieve a very good partial response or better, after receiving monthly zoledronic acid for at least 12 months, the treating physician can consider decreasing the frequency of or discontinuing zoledronic acid treatment. Denosumab can also be considered for the treatment of multiple myeloma-related bone disease, particularly in patients with renal impairment. Denosumab might prolong progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who have multiple myeloma-related bone disease and who are eligible for autologous stem-cell transplantation. Denosumab discontinuation is challenging due to the rebound effect. The Bone Working Group of the International Myeloma Working Group also found cement augmentation to be effective for painful vertebral compression fractures. Radiotherapy is recommended for uncontrolled pain, impeding or symptomatic spinal cord compression, or pathological fractures. Surgery should be used for the prevention and restoration of long-bone pathological fractures, vertebral column instability, and spinal cord compression with bone fragments within the spinal route.

Lymphoma-related amyloidosis is a rare entity. Systemic AL amyloidosis is generally caused by an underlying plasma cell clone in the bone marrow with an intact monoclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) or IgA protein. The rarity of the lymphoma-related amyloidosis makes the generation of data in randomized trials and the determination of the optimal treatment almost impossible. Therefore, treatment recommendations discussed here are based on either retrospective or small prospective trials of single centers.