New Approaches to Multiple Myeloma

Support: No funding was received in the publication of this article. Over recent years, there have been significant advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, including the introduction of novel drugs, which have changed the entire treatment paradigm. The rapid pace of developments in this field have led to the initiation of the annual International Congress on Controversies in Multiple Myeloma (COMy) which began in 2014. The 4th congress was held in Paris on 3–5 May 2018. A highlight of the congress is the Multiple Myeloma Excellence Award, in recognition of innovative research and clinical work that has contributed significantly to progress in the field of multiple myeloma and plasma cell dyscrasias. This year, Irene Ghobrial of the Michele & Stephen Kirsch Laboratory, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US, was a recipient of the award. In addition to her established research portfolio in the field of multiple myeloma, it has recently been announced that Dr Ghobrial is to lead a Stand Up To Cancer Multiple Myeloma Dream Team project, which is the first large-scale population survey in the USA for precursor conditions of multiple myeloma. In an expert interview, Dr Ghobrial discusses the award, the latest advances in multiple myeloma research and the Stand Up To Cancer project.