New Blood Test Spares Myeloma Patients Bone Marrow Procedures

Multiple myeloma patients across America can now monitor their cancer treatment with a simple blood draw instead of invasive bone marrow procedures.

Quest Diagnostics just launched an ultrasensitive blood test that detects traces of cancer cells during and after treatment. The test matches the accuracy of expensive next-generation sequencing tests but costs significantly less and is now available at about 7,000 Quest locations nationwide.

For the 36,000 Americans diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year, this changes everything. Multiple myeloma attacks plasma cells in the bone marrow, weakening bones and causing anemia, infections, and blood clotting problems. While there's no cure yet, many patients manage it as a chronic condition with chemotherapy and targeted therapies.

Until recently, monitoring how well those treatments worked required doctors to extract bone marrow samples with a needle, typically from the hip. The procedure is painful, expensive, and stressful for patients already fighting cancer.

The new Quest Flow Cytometry MRD test works differently. It analyzes regular blood samples to find measurable residual disease, the medical term for cancer traces left in the body. Unlike other advanced tests, it doesn't require a baseline sample taken before treatment starts, making it accessible to more patients.

The blood samples stay stable for five days after collection. That means patients in rural areas or locations far from labs can finally access sophisticated cancer monitoring without worrying about sample degradation during transport.

The Ripple Effect

This innovation reaches beyond individual patient care. The FDA just issued guidance last month allowing multiple myeloma clinical trials to use MRD testing as a primary endpoint. Quest's affordable, accessible test could accelerate the development of new treatments by making it easier for researchers to monitor patient responses during trials.

Timothy Looney, Quest's senior director of immuno-oncology, says the test's sensitivity, cost, and sample stability will help patients suffering from this devastating condition. Oncologists can now make faster, more informed decisions about treatment adjustments based on accurate monitoring data.

The test joins Quest's growing oncology portfolio, which already includes the Haystack Oncology test for solid tumors.

For cancer patients and their families, less pain and lower costs while maintaining excellent care is the kind of medical progress that restores hope.