Minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma: Benefits of flow cytometry

Over the last 20 years, the approaches to the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) have changed considerably, which led to an increase in remission rate. Using new diagnostic methods has made it possible to assess the response to treatment more reliably and forecast disease recurrence: allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, new-generation sequencing and multicolor flow cytometry enable minimal residual disease (MRD) detection of with sensitivity of 10−5 to 10−6. MRD assessment with flow cytometry using is a rapidly developing area of research. The goal of multicenter groups that use flow cytometry as a tool to detect MRD in patients with MM is achieving standardization and increasing sensitivity and specificity of this method. This article provides data about the methods used for MRD monitoring and describes the advances in the field of flow cytometry.