Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach
08:16

Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach

Published on: November 5, 2019

Heterogeneity in the multiple myeloma tumor clone

Jeroen E J Guikema1, Sjoerd Hovenga, Edo Vellenga

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Section Histology and Immunology, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Leukemia & Lymphoma
|August 5, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous plasma cell cancer. This review explores the role of less mature, clonally related B cells and tumor heterogeneity in MM prognosis and clinical outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Oncology
  • Cancer Biology

Background:

  • Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy with highly variable disease outcomes.
  • Plasma cell heterogeneity (morphology, maturation, immunophenotype, genetics) contributes to this variable prognosis.
  • Clonally related, less mature B cells (myeloma clonotypic B cells) coexist with malignant plasma cells in MM patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the significance of myeloma clonotypic B cells in the disease process.
  • To discuss the role of tumor clone heterogeneity in MM prognosis.
  • To explore the impact of these factors on clinical outcomes in Multiple Myeloma.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on myeloma clonotypic B cells.
  • Analysis of studies investigating tumor heterogeneity in Multiple Myeloma.
  • Synthesis of data on the relationship between B cell populations, tumor heterogeneity, and patient outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Myeloma clonotypic B cells are present in bone marrow and peripheral blood of MM patients.
  • The clinical significance of these B cells and tumor heterogeneity is not fully understood.
  • These factors are implicated in the variable disease outcomes observed in MM.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding myeloma clonotypic B cells and tumor heterogeneity is crucial for predicting MM prognosis.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the precise role of these factors in disease progression and clinical outcomes.
  • This knowledge may lead to improved therapeutic strategies for Multiple Myeloma.

More Related Videos

Heterogeneity Mapping of Protein Expression in Tumors using Quantitative Immunofluorescence07:54

Heterogeneity Mapping of Protein Expression in Tumors using Quantitative Immunofluorescence

Published on: October 25, 2011

Enrichment and Characterization of the Tumor Immune and Non-immune Microenvironments in Established Subcutaneous Murine Tumors08:32

Enrichment and Characterization of the Tumor Immune and Non-immune Microenvironments in Established Subcutaneous Murine Tumors

Published on: June 7, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells01:15

Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells

Common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) are oligopotent cells that can differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages. Granulocytes and macrophages are essential for protecting the body against bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. They migrate from the bone marrow into the circulating blood to reach specific tissue sites where they differentiate and help in immune surveillance. However, they survive only for a few days and must be continuously made available to the organism to maintain a robust...
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance02:40

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell02:21

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
Hybridoma Technology01:31

Hybridoma Technology

Hybridoma technology is used for the large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies bind to only a single antigenic determinant or epitope. Such antibodies are used in research, diagnostics, and disease therapy. The hybridoma technology established in 1975 by Georges Köhler and Cesar Milstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1984 for revolutionizing research and therapy.
Hybridoma Selection
Commonly used fusion techniques — electroporation, polyethylene glycol...