The clinical significance of circulating endothelial cells in multiple myeloma and their role as surrogate marker for determining the effect of anti-angiogenic agents.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant B-cell disorder characterized by a monoclonal expeansion of plasma cells (PC in the bone marrow (BM. Reciprocal interactions between MM cells and the BM mediate not only MM cell growth, but also protect them against apoptosis and cause bone disease and angiogenesis. In recent years, several new agents which do not only target the MM cell directly, but also its interactions in the BM, including angiogenesis, have been introduced in clinical practice.
The aim of the research project is first to analyze CEC/CEP in the peripheral blood of patients at diagnosis and during treatment with novel agents with anti-angiogenic effects and seconly to analyze if CEC/CEP are clonally related, as suggested by previous reports.