Chapter 4 - Applications of noncoding ribonucleic acids in multiple myeloma patients

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a currently incurable malignancy of antibody-secreting plasma cells in the bone marrow. Taken together with its premalignant precursor stage disease (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance), MM accounts for ~20% of all hematological malignancies, making it one of the most common blood cancers. One of the prominent features of MM is a high level of genetic and biological diversity, which underlies the significant heterogeneity in the rates of disease progression observed between patients. For more than a decade, short- and more recently long noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been investigated in tumor plasma cells of MM patients to understand the contribution of these molecules to disease progression, treatment response, and prognosis. In this chapter, we describe the existing databases documenting the changes in ncRNA expression in MM, highlight important ncRNAs for whom the role in the disease has been characterized, and also describe the complex interactions between ncRNAs and the major signaling pathways involved in this disease. Finally, we discuss the use of ncRNAs as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for MM, as well as recent efforts to target ncRNAs that could eventually complement existing therapies to achieve durable relapse and eventual cure.