DROPLET DIGITAL PCR (DDPCR) AND REAL-TIME PCR (RQ-PCR): A HEAD TO HEAD COMPARISON FOR MRD DETECTION IN MYELOMA (MM) MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA (MCL) AND FOLLICULAR LYMPHOMA (FL)

Minimal residual disease (MRD) detection is a well described prognostic tool for response evaluation in several hematological malignancies. Real time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) has an established role in Mantle cell Lymphoma (MCL), Follicular Lymphoma (FL) and Multiple Myeloma (MM). However, RQ-PCR-based MRD detection is a relative quantification approach, since it requires a reference standard curve. Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR), based on wide sample partition and Poisson’s statistic, allows for a trustworthy absolute quantification.