Ultrasensitive detection of circulating multiple myeloma cells by next-generation flow after immunomagnetic enrichment

M Marta Lasa (1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain) C Carmen González L Laura Notarfranchi (1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain) A Anastasiia Zherniakova (1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain) D Diego Alignani L Leire Burgos (12Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC number CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain) M María José Calasanz (7Genetics Department, CIMALAB Diagnostics, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain) P Paula Rodriguez-Otero J José J. Perez (13Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca Hematología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, CIBER-ONC number CB16/12/00233, Salamanca, Spain) C Clara Gomez (5Hospital de Galdakao, Vizcaya, Spain) V Veronica Gonzalez de la Calle (4Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Salamanca, University of Salamanca, CIBERONC CB16/12/00233, Salamanca, Spain) F Felipe de Arriba (18Department of Hematology, Hospital Morales Meseguer, IMIB Pascual Parrilla, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain) L Luis Palomera (19Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Hematology, Zaragoza, Spain) M Miguel Angel Alvarez Rivas (8Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, Cordoba, Spain) E Esther Clavero (9Hospital Universitario Virgen De Las Nieves, Granada, Spain) E Enrique M. Ocio (From Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Y.C.C., I.A.), and the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University (Y.C.C., H.M., I.A.), Tel Aviv, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan (H.M.), and Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem (M.G.) — all in Israel; McGill University and McGill University Health Centre, Montreal (M.S.), and Alberta Health Services, Edmonton (M.P.C.) — all in Canada; Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine (K.K.), Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea (C.-K.M.), and Seoul National University College of Medicine (S.-S.Y.) — all in Seoul, South Korea; Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander (E.M.O.), Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Center for Applied Medical Research, Pamplona (P.R.-O.), Institut Català d’Oncologia, Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, and the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona (A.O.)...) A Ana Pilar Gonzalez-Rodriguez (11Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain) S Sunil Lakhwani (Hospital Universitario de Canarias. Universidad de La Laguna., San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain) A Angela Ibañez (13Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, Spain) A Albert Oriol (Institut Català d’Oncologia and Institut Josep Carreras, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain) A Anna Sureda (Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona, Spain) L Laura Rosiñol (Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona) C Christiane Siewert (17Research and Development, Miltenyi Biotec BV & Co KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) A Alberto Orfao J Juan-Jose Lahuerta (Instituto de Investigación.Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain) J Joan Bladé (Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Institut de Investicacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain) M María-Victoria Mateos J Jesus F. San-Miguel (1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra, CIBERONC CB16/12/00369 and CB16/12/00489, Pamplona, Spain) M Maria-Teresa Cedena J Joaquín Martínez-López (Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre, Complutense University of Madrid, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, Madrid Institute of Cancer, Madrid) N Noemi Puig B Bruno Paiva

Abstract

Abstract The continuous improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) raises interest in evaluating peripheral residual disease (PRD) toward more frequent readouts of tumor kinetics while preserving quality of life. We present BloodFlow, a new method combining immunomagnetic enrichment of CD138+ circulating plasma cells in peripheral blood (PB) with next-generation flow (NGF), for the detection of PRD below the 2 × 10–6 NGF threshold. BloodFlow detected PRD in 55 of 644 PB samples (8.5%) from 295 patients. Of note, 52.7% PB samples were positive using BloodFlow and negative by NGF. The lowest PRD detected by BloodFlow was 6 × 10–8. Using bone marrow measurable residual disease (MRD) status as the reference, BloodFlow showed positive and negative predictive values of 95.1% and 76.6%, respectively. Detectable PRD during maintenance or observation predicted dismal PFS and overall survival (2-year rates of 0% and 62%, respectively). BloodFlow surpassed NGF in PB and retained independent prognostic value for PFS in multivariate analysis, including transplant eligibility, the revised International Staging System, complete remission, and MRD status. BloodFlow is the first flow cytometry method that detects tumor cells below the 10–6 threshold, enabling improved minimally invasive monitoring of patients with MM.

Article Details

Journal Blood
Volume / Issue Vol. 146, Issue 8
Published August 21, 2025
Pages 964-970
ISSN 0006-4971
Publisher Elsevier BV

Journal Info

Blood

Elsevier BV

ISSN: 0006-4971 Health Sciences

Authors (32)

M

Marta Lasa

1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain

C

Carmen González

L

Laura Notarfranchi

1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain

A

Anastasiia Zherniakova

1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain

D

Diego Alignani

L

Leire Burgos

12Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada (CIMA), Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), CIBER-ONC number CB16/12/00369, Pamplona, Spain

M

María José Calasanz

7Genetics Department, CIMALAB Diagnostics, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

P

Paula Rodriguez-Otero

J

José J. Perez

13Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca Hematología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, CIBER-ONC number CB16/12/00233, Salamanca, Spain

C

Clara Gomez

5Hospital de Galdakao, Vizcaya, Spain

V

Veronica Gonzalez de la Calle

4Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Salamanca, University of Salamanca, CIBERONC CB16/12/00233, Salamanca, Spain

F

Felipe de Arriba

18Department of Hematology, Hospital Morales Meseguer, IMIB Pascual Parrilla, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain

L

Luis Palomera

19Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Hematology, Zaragoza, Spain

M

Miguel Angel Alvarez Rivas

8Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, Cordoba, Spain

E

Esther Clavero

9Hospital Universitario Virgen De Las Nieves, Granada, Spain

E

Enrique M. Ocio

From Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Y.C.C., I.A.), and the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University (Y.C.C., H.M., I.A.), Tel Aviv, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan (H.M.), and Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem (M.G.) — all in Israel; McGill University and McGill University Health Centre, Montreal (M.S.), and Alberta Health Services, Edmonton (M.P.C.) — all in Canada; Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine (K.K.), Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea (C.-K.M.), and Seoul National University College of Medicine (S.-S.Y.) — all in Seoul, South Korea; Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander (E.M.O.), Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Center for Applied Medical Research, Pamplona (P.R.-O.), Institut Català d’Oncologia, Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, and the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona (A.O.)...

A

Ana Pilar Gonzalez-Rodriguez

11Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain

S

Sunil Lakhwani

Hospital Universitario de Canarias. Universidad de La Laguna., San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

A

Angela Ibañez

13Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, Spain

A

Albert Oriol

Institut Català d’Oncologia and Institut Josep Carreras, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain

A

Anna Sureda

Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona, Spain

L

Laura Rosiñol

Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona

C

Christiane Siewert

17Research and Development, Miltenyi Biotec BV & Co KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

A

Alberto Orfao

J

Juan-Jose Lahuerta

Instituto de Investigación.Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain

J

Joan Bladé

Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Institut de Investicacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

M

María-Victoria Mateos

J

Jesus F. San-Miguel

1Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria de Navarra, CIBERONC CB16/12/00369 and CB16/12/00489, Pamplona, Spain

M

Maria-Teresa Cedena

J

Joaquín Martínez-López

Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre, Complutense University of Madrid, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, Madrid Institute of Cancer, Madrid

N

Noemi Puig

B

Bruno Paiva