SWIFT-seq: A New Blood Test for Multiple Myeloma
SWIFT-seq, a new blood test from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers, could change how multiple myeloma (MM) is diagnosed adn monitored. It offers patients a less invasive option than customary bone marrow biopsies. Importantly, it may even detect precursor diseases like monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined importance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM).
Gloved hand holding blood sample | Image Credit: © Csaba Deli – stock.adobe.com
MM is the second most common blood cancer, impacting over 130,000 people in the US annually.it’s a complex disease that gets worse over time, and treatments don’t always work as well as doctors hope. Before MM develops, there’s MGUS and SMM. These are early, often symptom-free conditions marked by abnormal proteins in the blood.
Currently, diagnosing and tracking MGUS, SMM, and MM requires a bone marrow biopsy. This can be painful and isn’t always accurate for screening patients. The standard test, FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization), often gives unclear results.Researchers knew there was a need for a better, less invasive test, so they began looking at circulating tumor cells (CTCs).4
“BM biopsies…
Worth a look