Amrita Y. Krishnan, MD

Results of important studies addressing the optimal consolidation regimen and choice and duration of maintenance therapy are eagerly awaited, but it is evident that ASCT is imperative in the treatment of younger patients with multiple myeloma.

In the past, multiple myeloma was a disease with grim prospects for survival, and few therapeutic options. Today we have a multitude of options, and the armamentarium will continue to expand.

Most physicians are less aware of clinical presentations of the various heavy chain diseases, due in great part to their low incidence and highly variable clinical course. Heavy chain diseases are rare lymphoproliferative B-cell disorders whose hallmark is the accumulation and secretion of truncated constant heavy chains without the associated light chains.