New Approaches to Predict Outcome and Personalize Therapy in Multiple Myeloma: from microRNAs to Integrated Genomics

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that arises from a preneoplastic condition known as monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance. Prognostic stratification relies on standardized staging system and the identification of specific chromosomal aberrations. The introduction of Gene Expression Profile (GEP) has provided new tools for outcome prediction. The recent discoveries on the role of micro RNAs in the pathogenesis of MM prompted the question whether they can be used to predict outcome and personalize therapy. In this work, we overview the current issues on the definition of clinical outcome in MM by miRNA profiling, and we discuss their potential role as anti-cancer therapeutics. Finally, we describe the integrative analysis that, by the means of conjugating the predictive power of GEP and miRNA profiles, will likely become the most relevant tool to warrant tailored therapy to MM patients in the next future.