Predictive Role of Soluble B‐Cell Maturation Antigen in Short‐Term Monitoring of Differently Treated Multiple Myeloma Patients: A Prospective Study

• Published in: Journal of clinical laboratory analysis Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. e25151 - n/a
• Main Authors: Caponi, Laura, Del Giudice, Maria Livia, Botti, Alice, Ursino, Silvia, Gennari, Alberto, Paolicchi, Aldo, Galimberti, Sara, Buda, Gabriele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2025; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anticoagulants; Antigens; B-Cell Maturation Antigen - blood; BCMA; biomarker; Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Bone marrow; Clinical medicine; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Laboratories; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple myeloma; Multiple Myeloma - blood; Multiple Myeloma - diagnosis; Multiple Myeloma - drug therapy; Multiple Myeloma - therapy; Patients; Peripheral blood; Prospective Studies; prospective study; Proteins; sBCMA; Statistical analysis; multiple myeloma; BCMA; sBCMA; biomarker; prospective study
• ISSN: 0887-8013; 1098-2825; 1098-2825
• DOI: 10.1002/jcla.25151

ABSTRACT Background The management of multiple myeloma is challenging because the disease is incurable and unexpected relapses can threaten a patient's survival. Several assessment systems are currently available, but they often require invasive or costly procedures (e.g., instrumental bone marrow and whole‐body examinations) or rely on non‐specific markers in blood and urine that may not be sufficient to assess and monitor the disease. Aims To address some of these limitations, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of soluble B‐Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA), a promising new serum biomarker, as a toll for moniting multiple myeloma patients. Materials & Methods An unselected cohort of 57 newly diagnosed or relapsed myeloma patients was followed up for 6 months after starting a new therapy. Soluble BCMA levels were measured in peripheral blood using a simple and inexpensive ELISA assay. Results Soluble BCMA was detectable in peripheral blood by a simple and inexpensive assay in all patients, even in non‐secretory disease or during BCMA‐targeted therapies, and significant changes in its levels were observed over time. The analysis showed that the decrease in sBCMA at 1 and 6 months reflects the quality of the clinical response to anti‐myeloma regimens. Discussion & Conclusion The data provide interesting insights into the usefulness of sBCMA as a non‐invasive tool for early assessment of treatment efficacy. Its simple and cost‐effective detection in peripheral blood could provide clinicians with an addiotional resource for monitoring disease progression and tailoring treatment strategies. The management of multiple myeloma presents a significant challenge because of the incurability of the disease and the potential for unexpected relapses to threaten patient survival. This study evaluates the potential utility of soluble BCMA, a novel serum biomarker, in an unselected cohort of 57 newly diagnosed or relapsed myeloma patients. The presence of soluble BCMA was detectable in the peripheral blood through a simple and economical diagnostic test in all subjects. The decline in sBCMA levels is indicative of the efficacy of anti‐myeloma therapeutic strategies.