CAR-T cells may be able to prevent relapse in multiple myeloma
An international study, coordinated by the Hematology-Oncology Program, identifies five patterns of residual disease progression and paves the way for early intervention against resistant tumor cells
September 22, 2026
Researchers at Cima, together with the Spanish Myeloma Group (GEM/PETHEMA) and other national and international centers, have demonstrated that the progression of measurable residual disease (MRD) over time is one of the most powerful prognostic factors in patients with multiple myeloma.
The study, conducted at the Cancer Center of the University of Navarra Clinic, analyzed 539 patients and more than 3,600 MRD measurements and was subsequently validated in 249 patients treated in routine clinical practice. The study confirms that not all cases of residual disease have the same clinical significance. The dynamics of MRD make it possible to identify different risk profiles and more accurately predict the course of the disease.
Not all residual disease has the same significance
“One of the study’s main findings is that a single MRD measurement does not reflect the full complexity of the disease. The longitudinal analysis identified five different patterns of MRD progression, each associated with distinctly different prognoses,” explains Dr. Bruno Paiva, co-director of the Hematology-Oncology Program at Cima, University of Navarra, and group leader at the CIBER Cancer Research Network (CIBERONC). The results have been published in the scientific journal *Blood*.
This new classification, based on the dynamics of residual disease, demonstrated greater predictive power than other prognostic systems, both in the context of clinical trials and in patients treated in routine clinical practice.