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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

An Organotypic High Throughput System for Characterization of Drug Sensitivity of Primary Multiple Myeloma Cells
Published on: July 15, 2015
Biological determinants of health disparities in multiple myeloma
Cheryl Jacobs Smith1, Stefan Ambs1, Ola Landgren2
1Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Multiple myeloma is a rare plasma cell cancer, and incidence rates among patients of African descent are about twice those among patients of European descent. Rates of multiple myeloma vary among different populations, but the reasons for the racial disparities in multiple myeloma are largely unknown. Epidemiology has identified risk factors for multiple myeloma including race, advanced age, gender, family history, and exposure to different genetic toxins including radiation. Race and ancestry play a large role in predicting the risk for multiple myeloma, yet there exists a paucity of literature that explores the molecular contribution of race and ancestry to disease. In this review, we describe the relevant literature that describes the observed racial differences according to distinct tumor immunobiological and ancestral differences in populations.
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