Do You Have the Right Genes for This Multiple Myeloma Treatment?

(HealthDay News) — Genetic tests can show which patients with the blood cancer multiple myeloma should respond to targeted therapy, a new study finds. A special six-gene pattern can help predict who is more likely to respond well to Venclexta (venetoclax), a pill that promotes natural cell death among cancer cells, researchers said. “By knowing which patients might benefit the most, we can customize treatments to improve their chances of success,” said researcher Alessandro Lagana, an assistant professor of oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of blood plasma cells, according to the American Cancer Society. About 35,780 new cases of multiple myeloma are expected to be diagnosed in 2024, and it will kill about 12,540 U.S. adults. Venclexta keeps cancer cells from dodging apoptosis, the body process that causes old or damaged cells to self-destruct. Multiple myeloma cells carry a protein called BCL-2 that keeps the cell from triggering apoptosis. Venclexta inhibits BCL-2, restoring natural cell death for these cancer cells. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Venclexta in 2018, but up to now it’s been unclear which patients would most benefit from the drug....