Adnkronos Rome, October 14 (Adnkronos Salute) – Multiple myeloma research looks to the future with optimism and concreteness. This was the message emerging from the international conference "Myelomas," promoted by the Dino Amadori Romagna Institute for the Study of Tumors (IRST), which brought together some of the leading Italian and international experts in Rome to take stock of one of the most common and complex hematological malignancies, with 34 people living with the disease in Italy and over 5.700 new diagnoses each year.
The two-day event (October 10 and 11) of high-level scientific discussion—just a few months after the International Myeloma Society (IMS) congress in Toronto and ahead of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in December—confirmed Italy's role as a leading international research and clinical hub. Alongside leading Italian experts, the organizers announced in a statement, speakers included world-class figures such as Brian Durie (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles), Paul Richardson (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston), Joshua Richter (Mount Sinai Hospital, New York), Andreas Beilhack (University of Würzburg, Germany), and Fredrik Schjesvold (Oslo University Hospital, Norway), demonstrating a shared commitment to building a global network of knowledge and experimentation.
The focus of the meeting was the principle of personalized care, based both on the identification of molecular targets and the optimal choice and combination of drugs for each patient. In particular, considerable attention was paid to quadruplet therapies (four-drug regimens based on anti-CD38), which are emerging as the new standard of first-line care. Their goal is to achieve minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity—a parameter that, according to the most recent evidence, experts note, could represent the true biological correlate of recovery. Important confirmation was also received regarding next-generation immunotherapies, such as CAR-T and bispecific antibodies, in relapsed or refractory patients. In this area, IRST presented significant data, thanks to the contributions of Matteo Marchesini (molecular analyses) and Alice Rossi (radiomics applications), supporting increasingly accurate and multidimensional diagnostic monitoring.
"The natural history of myeloma has changed radically," emphasizes Claudio Cerchione, a hematologist at IRST, "and today we are able to design increasingly tailored therapies, complemented by advanced molecular and radiological monitoring. The prospect of a cure, which for years was a dream, is no longer so distant." Nicola Normanno, scientific director of the Institute and honorary president of the event, adds: "At IRST, we are developing a multi-omics approach, integrating genomics, transcriptomics, radiomics, and immunoprofiling to refine patient diagnosis and prognosis. This is the key to truly personalized precision medicine."
Gerardo Musuraca, Director of Hematology and Transplants at IRST and co-chair of the meeting with Cerchione, emphasized: "We wanted to create an opportunity for direct and intensive discussion between international and Italian institutions to foster scientific development at the highest level and jointly outline new therapeutic approaches, which are increasingly focused on the concrete possibility of recovery." The event—promoted by IRST Dino Amadori IRCCS with the support of AIOM (Italian Association of Medical Oncology), GITMO (Italian Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation, Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Cellular Therapy), SIE (Italian Society of Hematology), SIES (Italian Society of Experimental Hematology), SOHO Italy, and with the patronage of AIL (Italian Association against Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma)—confirmed the leading role of Italian research in the field of oncohematology—the statement concludes—and the mission of the Romagna-based institute to translate scientific innovation into concrete benefits for patients.