@article{LapaSchrederSchirbeletal.2017,
  author    = {Lapa, Constantin and Schreder, Martin and Schirbel, Andreas and Samnick, Samuel and Kort{\"u}m, Klaus Martin and Herrmann, Ken and Kropf, Saskia and Einsele, Herrmann and Buck, Andreas K. and Wester, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and Knop, Stefan and L{\"u}ckerath, Katharina},
  title     = {[\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor-PET/CT for imaging of chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression in multiple myeloma - comparison to [\(^{18}\)F]FDG and laboratory values},
  series = {Theranostics},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Theranostics},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.7150/thno.16576},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172106},
  pages     = {205-212},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4) is a key factor for tumor growth and metastasis in several types of human cancer including multiple myeloma (MM). Proof-of-concept of CXCR4-directed radionuclide therapy in MM has recently been reported. This study assessed the diagnostic performance of the CXCR4-directed radiotracer [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor in MM and a potential role for stratifying patients to CXCR4-directed therapies. Thirty-five patients with MM underwent [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor-PET/CT for evaluation of eligibility for endoradiotherapy. In 19/35 cases, [\(^{18}\)F]FDG-PET/CT for correlation was available. Scans were compared on a patient and on a lesion basis. Tracer uptake was correlated with standard clinical parameters of disease activity. [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor-PET detected CXCR4-positive disease in 23/35 subjects (66\%). CXCR4-positivity at PET was independent from myeloma subtypes, cytogenetics or any serological parameters and turned out as a negative prognostic factor. In the 19 patients in whom a comparison to [\(^{18}\)F]FDG was available, [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor-PET detected more lesions in 4/19 (21\%) subjects, [\(^{18}\)F]FDG proved superior in 7/19 (37\%). In the remaining 8/19 (42\%) patients, both tracers detected an equal number of lesions. [\(^{18}\)F]FDG-PET positivity correlated with [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor-PET positivity (p=0.018). [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor-PET provides further evidence that CXCR4 expression frequently occurs in advanced multiple myeloma, representing a negative prognostic factor and a potential target for myeloma specific treatment. However, selecting patients for CXCR4 directed therapies and prognostic stratification seem to be more relevant clinical applications for this novel imaging modality, rather than diagnostic imaging of myeloma.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LapaGarciaVellosoLueckerathetal.2017,
  author    = {Lapa, Constantin and Garcia-Velloso, Maria J. and L{\"u}ckerath, Katharina and Samnick, Samuel and Schreder, Martin and Otero, Paula Rodriguez and Schmid, Jan-Stefan and Herrmann, Ken and Knop, Stefan and Buck, Andreas K. and Einsele, Hermann and San-Miguel, Jesus and Kort{\"u}m, Klaus Martin},
  title     = {\(^{11}\)C-methionine-PET in multiple myeloma: a combined study from two different institutions},
  series = {Theranostics},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Theranostics},
  number    = {11},
  doi       = {10.7150/thno.20491},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172038},
  pages     = {2956-2964},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {\(^{11}\)C-methionine (MET) has recently emerged as an accurate marker of tumor burden and disease activity in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). This dual-center study aimed at further corroboration of the superiority of MET as positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for staging and re-staging MM, as compared to \(^{18}\)F-2`-deoxy-2`-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG). 78 patients with a history of solitary plasmacytoma (n=4), smoldering MM (SMM, n=5), and symptomatic MM (n=69) underwent both MET- and FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) at the University Centers of W{\"u}rzburg, Germany and Navarra, Spain. Scans were compared on a patient and on a lesion basis. Inter-reader agreement was also evaluated. In 2 patients, tumor biopsies for verification of discordant imaging results were available. MET-PET detected focal lesions (FL) in 59/78 subjects (75.6\%), whereas FDG-PET/CT showed lesions in only 47 patients (60.3\%; p<0.01), accordingly disease activity would have been missed in 12 patients. Directed biopsies of discordant results confirmed MET-PET/CT results in both cases. MET depicted more FL in 44 patients (56.4\%; p<0.01), whereas in two patients (2/78), FDG proved superior. In the remainder (41.0\%, 32/78), both tracers yielded comparable results. Inter-reader agreement for MET was higher than for FDG (κ = 0.82 vs κ = 0.72). This study demonstrates higher sensitivity of MET in comparison to standard FDG to detect intra- and extramedullary MM including histologic evidence of FDG-negative, viable disease exclusively detectable by MET-PET/CT. MET holds the potential to replace FDG as functional imaging standard for staging and re-staging of MM.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LueckerathLapaAlbertetal.2015,
  author    = {L{\"u}ckerath, Katharina and Lapa, Constantin and Albert, Christa and Herrmann, Ken and J{\"o}rg, Gerhard and Samnick, Samuel and Einsele, Herrmann and Knop, Stefan and Buck, Andreas K.},
  title     = {\(^{11}\)C-Methionine-PET: a novel and sensitive tool for monitoring of early response to treatment in multiple myeloma},
  series = {Oncotarget},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Oncotarget},
  number    = {10},
  doi       = {10.18632/oncotarget.3053},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148688},
  pages     = {8418-8429},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an essentially incurable hematologic malignancy. However, new treatment modalities and novel drugs have been introduced and thus additional tools for therapy monitoring are increasingly needed. Therefore, we evaluated the radiotracers \(^{11}\)C-Methionine (paraprotein-biosynthesis) and \(^{18}\)F-FDG (glucose-utilization) for monitoring response to anti-myeloma-therapy and outcome prediction. Influence of proteasome-inhibition on radiotracer-uptake of different MM cell-lines and patient-derived CD138\(^{+}\) plasma cells was analyzed and related to tumor-biology. Mice xenotransplanted with MM. 1S tumors underwent MET- and FDG-\(\mu\)PET. Tumor-to-background ratios before and after 24 h, 8 and 15 days treatment with bortezomib were correlated to survival. Treatment reduced both MET and FDG uptake; changes in tracer-retention correlated with a switch from high to low CD138-expression. In xenotransplanted mice, MET-uptake significantly decreased by 30-79\% as early as 24 h after bortezomib injection. No significant differences were detected thus early with FDG. This finding was confirmed in patient-derived MM cells. Importantly, early reduction of MET-but not FDG-uptake correlated with improved survival and reduced tumor burden in mice. Our results suggest that MET is superior to FDG in very early assessment of response to anti-myeloma-therapy. Early changes in MET-uptake have predictive potential regarding response and survival. MET-PET holds promise to individualize therapies in MM in future.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MoralesLozanoVieringSamnicketal.2020,
  author    = {Morales-Lozano, Maria I. and Viering, Oliver and Samnick, Samuel and Rodriguez-Otero, Paula and Buck, Andreas K. and Marcos-Jubilar, Maria and Rasche, Leo and Prieto, Elena and Kort{\"u}m, K. Martin and San-Miguel, Jesus and Garcia-Velloso, Maria J. and Lapa, Constantin},
  title     = {\(^{18}\)F-FDG and \(^{11}\)C-methionine PET/CT in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients: comparison of volume-based PET biomarkers},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers12041042},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-203686},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {\(^{11}\)C-methionine (\(^{11}\)C-MET) is a new positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for the assessment of disease activity in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, with preliminary data suggesting higher sensitivity and specificity than \(^{18}\)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (\(^{18}\)F-FDG). However, the value of tumor burden biomarkers has yet to be investigated. Our goals were to corroborate the superiority of \(^{11}\)C-MET for MM staging and to compare its suitability for the assessment of metabolic tumor burden biomarkers in comparison to \(^{18}\)F-FDG. Twenty-two patients with newly diagnosed, treatment-na{\"i}ve symptomatic MM who had undergone \(^{11}\)C-MET and \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT were evaluated. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were determined and compared with total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) for both tracers: total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and total lesion \(^{11}\)C-MET uptake (TLMU). PET-derived values were compared to Revised International Staging System (R-ISS), cytogenetic, and serologic MM markers such as M component, beta 2 microglobulin (B2M), serum free light chains (FLC), albumin, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In 11 patients (50\%), \(^{11}\)C-MET detected more focal lesions (FL) than FDG (p < 0.01). SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak, TMTV, and TLMU were also significantly higher in \(^{11}\)C-MET than in \(^{18}\)F-FDG (p < 0.05, respectively). \(^{11}\)C-MET PET biomarkers had a better correlation with tumor burden (bone marrow plasma cell infiltration, M component; p < 0.05 versus p = n.s. respectively). This pilot study suggests that \(^{11}\)C-MET PET/CT is a more sensitive marker for the assessment of myeloma tumor burden than \(^{18}\)F-FDG. Its implications for prognosis evaluation need further investigation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BruennertSeupelGoyaletal.2023,
  author    = {Br{\"u}nnert, Daniela and Seupel, Raina and Goyal, Pankaj and Bach, Matthias and Schraud, Heike and Kirner, Stefanie and K{\"o}ster, Eva and Feineis, Doris and Bargou, Ralf C. and Schlosser, Andreas and Bringmann, Gerhard and Chatterjee, Manik},
  title     = {Ancistrocladinium A induces apoptosis in proteasome inhibitor-resistant multiple myeloma cells: a promising therapeutic agent candidate},
  series = {Pharmaceuticals},
  volume    = {16},
  journal   = {Pharmaceuticals},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {1424-8247},
  doi       = {10.3390/ph16081181},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362887},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {The N,C-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid ancistrocladinium A belongs to a novel class of natural products with potent antiprotozoal activity. Its effects on tumor cells, however, have not yet been explored. We demonstrate the antitumor activity of ancistrocladinium A in multiple myeloma (MM), a yet incurable blood cancer that represents a model disease for adaptation to proteotoxic stress. Viability assays showed a potent apoptosis-inducing effect of ancistrocladinium A in MM cell lines, including those with proteasome inhibitor (PI) resistance, and in primary MM cells, but not in non-malignant blood cells. Concomitant treatment with the PI carfilzomib or the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat strongly enhanced the ancistrocladinium A-induced apoptosis. Mass spectrometry with biotinylated ancistrocladinium A revealed significant enrichment of RNA-splicing-associated proteins. Affected RNA-splicing-associated pathways included genes involved in proteotoxic stress response, such as PSMB5-associated genes and the heat shock proteins HSP90 and HSP70. Furthermore, we found strong induction of ATF4 and the ATM/H2AX pathway, both of which are critically involved in the integrated cellular response following proteotoxic and oxidative stress. Taken together, our data indicate that ancistrocladinium A targets cellular stress regulation in MM and improves the therapeutic response to PIs or overcomes PI resistance, and thus may represent a promising potential therapeutic agent.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GrunzKunzBaumannetal.2023,
  author    = {Grunz, Jan-Peter and Kunz, Andreas Steven and Baumann, Freerk T. and Hasenclever, Dirk and Sieren, Malte Maria and Heldmann, Stefan and Bley, Thorsten Alexander and Einsele, Hermann and Knop, Stefan and Jundt, Franziska},
  title     = {Assessing osteolytic lesion size on sequential CT scans is a reliable study endpoint for bone remineralization in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {15},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers15154008},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362526},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Multiple myeloma (MM) frequently induces persisting osteolytic manifestations despite hematologic treatment response. This study aimed to establish a biometrically valid study endpoint for bone remineralization through quantitative and qualitative analyses in sequential CT scans. Twenty patients (seven women, 58 ± 8 years) with newly diagnosed MM received standardized induction therapy comprising the anti-SLAMF7 antibody elotuzumab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (E-KRd). All patients underwent whole-body low-dose CT scans before and after six cycles of E-KRd. Two radiologists independently recorded osteolytic lesion sizes, as well as the presence of cortical destruction, pathologic fractures, rim and trabecular sclerosis. Bland-Altman analyses and Krippendorff's α were employed to assess inter-reader reliability, which was high for lesion size measurement (standard error 1.2 mm) and all qualitative criteria assessed (α ≥ 0.74). After six cycles of E-KRd induction, osteolytic lesion size decreased by 22\% (p \&lt; 0.001). While lesion size response did not correlate with the initial lesion size at baseline imaging (Pearson's r = 0.144), logistic regression analysis revealed that the majority of responding osteolyses exhibited trabecular sclerosis (p \&lt; 0.001). The sum of osteolytic lesion sizes on sequential CT scans defines a reliable study endpoint to characterize bone remineralization. Patient level response is strongly associated with the presence of trabecular sclerosis.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ZhouFluechterNickeletal.2020,
  author    = {Zhou, Xiang and Fl{\"u}chter, Patricia and Nickel, Katharina and Meckel, Katharina and Messerschmidt, Janin and B{\"o}ckle, David and Knorz, Sebastian and Steinhardt, Maximilian Johannes and Krummenast, Franziska and Danhof, Sophia and Einsele, Hermann and Kort{\"u}m, K. Martin and Rasche, Leo},
  title     = {Carfilzomib based treatment strategies in the management of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma with extramedullary disease},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers12041035},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-203704},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Published experience with carfilzomib in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) and extramedullary disease (EMD) is still limited. The current study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of carfilzomib containing therapy regimens in EMD. We retrospectively analyzed 45 patients with extramedullary RRMM treated with carfilzomib from June 2013 to September 2019. The median age at the start of carfilzomib was 64 (range 40-80) years. Twenty (44\%) and 25 (56\%) patients had paraosseous manifestation and EMD without adjacency to bone, respectively. The serological overall response rate (ORR) was 59\%. Extramedullary response was evaluable in 33 patients, nine (27\%) of them achieved partial remission (PR) (ORR = 27\%). In 15 (33\%) patients, we observed no extramedullary response despite serological response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were five (95\% CI, 3.5-6.5) and ten (95\% CI, 7.5-12.5) months, respectively. EMD without adjacency to bone was associated with a significantly inferior PFS (p = 0.004) and OS (p = 0.04) compared to paraosseous lesions. Carfilzomib based treatment strategies showed some efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with extramedullary RRMM but could not overcome the negative prognostic value of EMD. Due to the discrepancy between serological and extramedullary response, evaluation of extramedullary response using imaging is mandatory in these patients.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{JanjetovicLohneisNogaietal.2021,
  author    = {Janjetovic, Snjezana and Lohneis, Philipp and Nogai, Axel and Balci, Derya and Rasche, Leo and J{\"a}hne, Doris and Bokemeyer, Carsten and Schilling, Georgia and Blau, Igor Wolfgang and Schmidt-Hieber, Martin},
  title     = {Clinical and biological characteristics of medullary and extramedullary plasma cell dyscrasias},
  series = {Biology},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Biology},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2079-7737},
  doi       = {10.3390/biology10070629},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-242592},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Background: Extramedullary plasma cell (PC) disorders may occur as extramedullary disease in multiple myeloma (MM-EMD) or as primary extramedullary plasmocytoma (pEMP)/solitary osseous plasmocytoma (SOP). In this study, we aimed to obtain insights into the molecular mechanisms of extramedullary spread of clonal PC. Methods: Clinical and biological characteristics of 87 patients with MM-EMD (n = 49), pEMP/SOP (n = 20) and classical MM (n = 18) were analyzed by using immunohistochemistry (CXCR4, CD31, CD44 and CD81 staining) and cytoplasmic immunoglobulin staining combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (cIg-FISH). Results: High expression of CD44, a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell-cell interactions, was significantly enriched in MM-EMD (90\%) vs. pEMP/SOP (27\%) or classical MM (33\%) (p < 0.001). In addition, 1q21 amplification by clonal PC occurred at a similar frequency of MM-EMD (33\%), pEMP/SOP (57\%) and classical MM (44\%). Conversely, del(17p13), t(4;14) and t(14;16) were completely absent in pEMP/SOP. Besides this, 1q21 amplification was identified in 64\% of not paraskeletal samples from MM-EMD or pEMP compared to 9\% of SOP or paraskeletal MM-EMD/pEMP and 44\% of classical MM samples, respectively (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Expression of molecules involved in homing and cytogenetic aberrations differ between MM with or without EMD and pEMP/SOP.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LapaHerrmannSchirbeletal.2017,
  author    = {Lapa, Constantin and Herrmann, Ken and Schirbel, Andreas and H{\"a}nscheid, Heribert and L{\"u}ckerath, Katharina and Schottelius, Margret and Kircher, Malte and Werner, Rudolf A. and Schreder, Martin and Samnick, Samuel and Kropf, Saskia and Knop, Stefan and Buck, Andreas K. and Einsele, Hermann and Wester, Hans-Juergen and Kort{\"u}m, K. Martin},
  title     = {CXCR4-directed endoradiotherapy induces high response rates in extramedullary relapsed multiple myeloma},
  series = {Theranostics},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Theranostics},
  number    = {6},
  doi       = {10.7150/thno.19050},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172095},
  pages     = {1589-1597},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {C-X-C-motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is a key factor for tumor growth and metastasis in several types of human cancer. We have recently reported promising first-in-man experience with CXCR4-directed endoradiotherapy (ERT) in multiple myeloma (MM). Eight heavily pretreated MM patients underwent a total of 10 ERT cycles (7 patients with 1 cycle and a single patient with 3 cycles). ERT was administered in combination with chemotherapy and autologous stem cell support. End points were occurrence and timing of adverse events, progression-free and overall survival. ERT was overall well tolerated without any unexpected acute adverse events or changes in vital signs. With absorbed tumor doses >30-70 Gy in intra- or extramedullary lesions, significant anti-myeloma activity was observed with 1 patient achieving complete remission and 5/8 partial remission. Directly after ERT major infectious complications were seen in one patient who died from sepsis 22 days after ERT, another patient with high tumor burden experienced lethal tumor lysis syndrome. Median progression-free survival was 54 days (range, 13-175), median overall survival was 223 days (range, 13-313). During follow-up (6 patients available), one patient died from infectious complications, 2/8 from disease progression, the remaining 3/8 patients are still alive. CXCR4-directed ERT was well-tolerated and exerted anti-myeloma activity even at very advanced stage MM with presence of extramedullary disease. Further assessment of this novel treatment option is highly warranted.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BuckSerflingLindneretal.2022,
  author    = {Buck, Andreas K. and Serfling, Sebastian E. and Lindner, Thomas and H{\"a}nscheid, Heribert and Schirbel, Andreas and Hahner, Stefanie and Fassnacht, Martin and Einsele, Hermann and Werner, Rudolf A.},
  title     = {CXCR4-targeted theranostics in oncology},
  series = {European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging},
  volume    = {49},
  journal   = {European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging},
  number    = {12},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00259-022-05849-y},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324545},
  pages     = {4133-4144},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {A growing body of literature reports on the upregulation of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in a variety of cancer entities, rendering this receptor as suitable target for molecular imaging and endoradiotherapy in a theranostic setting. For instance, the CXCR4-targeting positron emission tomography (PET) agent [\(^{68}\)Ga]PentixaFor has been proven useful for a comprehensive assessment of the current status quo of solid tumors, including adrenocortical carcinoma or small-cell lung cancer. In addition, [\(^{68}\)Ga]PentixaFor has also provided an excellent readout for hematological malignancies, such as multiple myeloma, marginal zone lymphoma, or mantle cell lymphoma. PET-based quantification of the CXCR4 capacities in vivo allows for selecting candidates that would be suitable for treatment using the theranostic equivalent [\(^{177}\)Lu]/[\(^{90}\)Y]PentixaTher. This CXCR4-directed theranostic concept has been used as a conditioning regimen prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and to achieve sufficient anti-lymphoma/-tumor activity in particular for malignant tissues that are highly sensitive to radiation, such as the hematological system. Increasing the safety margin, pretherapeutic dosimetry is routinely performed to determine the optimal activity to enhance therapeutic efficacy and to reduce off-target adverse events. The present review will provide an overview of current applications for CXCR4-directed molecular imaging and will introduce the CXCR4-targeted theranostic concept for advanced hematological malignancies.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SteinbrunnChatterjeeBargouetal.2014,
  author    = {Steinbrunn, Torsten and Chatterjee, Manik and Bargou, Ralf C. and St{\"u}hmer, Thorsten},
  title     = {Efficient Transient Transfection of Human Multiple Myeloma Cells by Electroporation - An Appraisal},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {6},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0097443},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-119616},
  pages     = {e97443},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Cell lines represent the everyday workhorses for in vitro research on multiple myeloma (MM) and are regularly employed in all aspects of molecular and pharmacological investigations. Although loss-of-function studies using RNA interference in MM cell lines depend on successful knockdown, no well-established and widely applied protocol for efficient transient transfection has so far emerged. Here, we provide an appraisal of electroporation as a means to introduce either short-hairpin RNA expression vectors or synthesised siRNAs into MM cells. We found that electroporation using siRNAs was much more efficient than previously anticipated on the basis of transfection efficiencies deduced from EGFP-expression off protein expression vectors. Such knowledge can even confidently be exploited in "hard-to-transfect" MM cell lines to generate large numbers of transient knockdown phenotype MM cells. In addition, special attention was given to developing a protocol that provides easy implementation, good reproducibility and manageable experimental costs.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HoseSchrederHefneretal.2021,
  author    = {Hose, Dorothea and Schreder, Martin and Hefner, Jochen and Bittrich, Max and Danhof, Sophia and Strifler, Susanne and Krauth, Maria-Theresa and Schoder, Renate and Gisslinger, Bettina and Einsele, Hermann and Gisslinger, Heinz and Knop, Stefan},
  title     = {Elotuzumab, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone is a very well tolerated regimen associated with durable remission even in very advanced myeloma: a retrospective study from two academic centers},
  series = {Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology},
  volume    = {147},
  journal   = {Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology},
  issn      = {0171-5216},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00432-020-03323-6},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235762},
  pages     = {205-212},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Background The anti-SLAMF7 monoclonal antibody, elotuzumab (elo), plus lenalidomide (len) and dexamethasone (dex) is approved for relapsed/refractory MM in the U.S. and Europe. Recently, a small phase 2 study demonstrated an advantage in progression-free survival (PFS) for elo plus pomalidomide (pom)/dex compared to pom/dex alone and resulted in licensing of this novel triplet combination, but clinical experience is still limited. Purpose To analyze the efficacy and safety of elo/pom/dex in a "real world" cohort of patients with advanced MM, we queried the databases of the university hospitals of W{\"u}rzburg and Vienna. Findings We identified 22 patients with a median number of five prior lines of therapy who received elo/pom/dex prior to licensing within an early access program. Patients received a median number of 5 four-week treatment cycles. Median PFS was 6.4 months with 12-month and 18-month PFS rates of 35\% and 28\%, respectively. The overall response rate was 50\% and 64\% of responding patients who achieved a longer PFS with elo/pom/dex compared to their most recent line of therapy. Objective responses were also seen in five patients who had been pretreated with pomalidomide. Low tumor burden was associated with improved PFS (13.5 months for patients with ISS stage I/II at study entry v 6.4 months for ISS III), although this difference did not reach statistical significance. No infusion-related reactions were reported. The most frequent grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia and pneumonia. Conclusion Elo/pom/dex is an active and well-tolerated regimen in highly advanced MM even after pretreatment with pomalidomide.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LuberLutzAbeleHornetal.2019,
  author    = {Luber, Verena and Lutz, Mathias and Abele-Horn, Marianne and Einsele, Hermann and Grigoleit, G{\"o}tz Ulrich and Mielke, Stephan},
  title     = {Excretion of Ascaris lumbricoides following reduced-intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and consecutive treatment with mebendazole},
  series = {Transplant Infectious Disease},
  volume    = {22},
  journal   = {Transplant Infectious Disease},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {1399-3062},
  doi       = {10.1111/tid.13224},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-219608},
  pages     = {1-4},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Here, we present the unique case of a 51-year-old German patient with multiple myeloma excreting Ascaris lumbricoides in his stool five weeks after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Stool analysis remained negative for the presence of eggs, and there was no eosinophilia in the peripheral blood at any time around stem cell transplantation. The patient was commenced on a three-day treatment with mebendazole, which was well tolerated. No serious interactions with the concomitant post-transplant medication or negative effects on the hematopoiesis were observed, and the myeloma still is in complete remission. To our knowledge, this is the first report on excretion of A lumbricoides in the context of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The case is remarkable with view to the fact that the parasite has supposedly survived all courses of myeloma treatment including autologous and allogeneic conditioning. Parasitosis with A lumbricoides has a worldwide prevalence of about a billion and is extremely rare in northern Europe. Possibly the patient got infected during a trip to Egypt years before multiple myeloma was diagnosed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WeissbachHerediaGuerreroBarnsteineretal.2020,
  author    = {Weißbach, Susann and Heredia-Guerrero, Sofia Catalina and Barnsteiner, Stefanie and Großhans, Lukas and Bodem, Jochen and Starz, Hanna and Langer, Christian and Appenzeller, Silke and Knop, Stefan and Steinbrunn, Torsten and Rost, Simone and Einsele, Hermann and Bargou, Ralf Christian and Rosenwald, Andreas and St{\"u}hmer, Thorsten and Leich, Ellen},
  title     = {Exon-4 Mutations in KRAS Affect MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT Signaling in Human Multiple Myeloma Cell Lines},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers12020455},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200617},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Approximately 20\% of multiple myeloma (MM) cases harbor a point mutation in KRAS. However, there is still no final consent on whether KRAS-mutations are associated with disease outcome. Specifically, no data exist on whether KRAS-mutations have an impact on survival of MM patients at diagnosis in the era of novel agents. Direct blockade of KRAS for therapeutic purposes is mostly impossible, but recently a mutation-specific covalent inhibitor targeting KRAS\(^{p.G12C}\) entered into clinical trials. However, other KRAS hotspot-mutations exist in MM patients, including the less common exon-4 mutations. For the current study, the coding regions of KRAS were deep-sequenced in 80 newly diagnosed MM patients, uniformely treated with three cycles of bortezomib plus dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide (VCD)-induction, followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Moreover, the functional impact of KRAS\(^{p.G12A}\) and the exon-4 mutations p.A146T and p.A146V on different survival pathways was investigated. Specifically, KRAS\(^{WT}\), KRAS\(^{p.G12A}\), KRAS\(^{p.A146T}\), and KRAS\(^{p.A146V}\) were overexpressed in HEK293 cells and the KRAS\(^{WT}\) MM cell lines JJN3 and OPM2 using lentiviral transduction and the Sleeping Beauty vector system. Even though KRAS-mutations were not correlated with survival, all KRAS-mutants were found capable of potentially activating MEK/ERK- and sustaining PI3K/AKT-signaling in MM cells.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LodaKrebsDanhofetal.2019,
  author    = {Loda, Sophia and Krebs, Jonathan and Danhof, Sophia and Schreder, Martin and Solimando, Antonio G. and Strifler, Susanne and Rasche, Leo and Kort{\"u}m, Martin and Kerscher, Alexander and Knop, Stefan and Puppe, Frank and Einsele, Hermann and Bittrich, Max},
  title     = {Exploration of artificial intelligence use with ARIES in multiple myeloma research},
  series = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2077-0383},
  doi       = {10.3390/jcm8070999},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-197231},
  pages     = {999},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Background: Natural language processing (NLP) is a powerful tool supporting the generation of Real-World Evidence (RWE). There is no NLP system that enables the extensive querying of parameters specific to multiple myeloma (MM) out of unstructured medical reports. We therefore created a MM-specific ontology to accelerate the information extraction (IE) out of unstructured text. Methods: Our MM ontology consists of extensive MM-specific and hierarchically structured attributes and values. We implemented "A Rule-based Information Extraction System" (ARIES) that uses this ontology. We evaluated ARIES on 200 randomly selected medical reports of patients diagnosed with MM. Results: Our system achieved a high F1-Score of 0.92 on the evaluation dataset with a precision of 0.87 and recall of 0.98. Conclusions: Our rule-based IE system enables the comprehensive querying of medical reports. The IE accelerates the extraction of data and enables clinicians to faster generate RWE on hematological issues. RWE helps clinicians to make decisions in an evidence-based manner. Our tool easily accelerates the integration of research evidence into everyday clinical practice.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AndersenBogstedDybkaretal.2015,
  author    = {Andersen, Jens Peter and B{\o}gsted, Martin and Dybk{\ae}r, Karen and Mellqvist, Ulf-Henrik and Morgan, Gareth J. and Goldschmidt, Hartmut and Dimopoulos, Meletios A. and Einsele, Hermann and San Miguel, Jes{\´u}s and Palumbo, Antonio and Sonneveld, Pieter and Johnsen, Hans Erik},
  title     = {Global myeloma research clusters, output, and citations: a bibliometric mapping and clustering analysis},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0116966},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-144214},
  pages     = {e0116966},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Background International collaborative research is a mechanism for improving the development of disease-specific therapies and for improving health at the population level. However, limited data are available to assess the trends in research output related to orphan diseases. Methods and Findings We used bibliometric mapping and clustering methods to illustrate the level of fragmentation in myeloma research and the development of collaborative efforts. Publication data from Thomson Reuters Web of Science were retrieved for 2005-2009 and followed until 2013. We created a database of multiple myeloma publications, and we analysed impact and co-authorship density to identify scientific collaborations, developments, and international key players over time. The global annual publication volume for studies on multiple myeloma increased from 1,144 in 2005 to 1,628 in 2009, which represents a 43\% increase. This increase is high compared to the 24\% and 14\% increases observed for lymphoma and leukaemia. The major proportion (> 90\% of publications) was from the US and EU over the study period. The output and impact in terms of citations, identified several successful groups with a large number of intra-cluster collaborations in the US and EU. The US-based myeloma clusters clearly stand out as the most productive and highly cited, and the European Myeloma Network members exhibited a doubling of collaborative publications from 2005 to 2009, still increasing up to 2013. Conclusion and Perspective Multiple myeloma research output has increased substantially in the past decade. The fragmented European myeloma research activities based on national or regional groups are progressing, but they require a broad range of targeted research investments to improve multiple myeloma health care.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RaoGiannicoLeoneetal.2020,
  author    = {Rao, Luigia and Giannico, Donato and Leone, Patrizia and Solimando, Antonio Giovanni and Maiorano, Eugenio and Caporusso, Concetta and Duda, Loren and Tamma, Roberto and Mallamaci, Rosanna and Susca, Nicola and Buonavoglia, Alessio and Da Vi{\`a}, Matteo Claudio and Ribatti, Domenico and De Re, Vall{\`i} and Vacca, Angelo and Racanelli, Vito},
  title     = {HB-EGF-EGFR signaling in bone marrow endothelial cells mediates angiogenesis associated with multiple myeloma},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers12010173},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200786},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its ligand heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) sustain endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis in solid tumors, but little is known about the role of HB-EGF-EGFR signaling in bone marrow angiogenesis and multiple myeloma (MM) progression. We found that bone marrow endothelial cells from patients with MM express high levels of EGFR and HB-EGF, compared with cells from patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, and that overexpressed HB-EGF stimulates EGFR expression in an autocrine loop. We also found that levels of EGFR and HB-EGF parallel MM plasma cell number, and that HB-EGF is a potent inducer of angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, blockade of HB-EGF-EGFR signaling, by an anti-HB-EGF neutralizing antibody or the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib, limited the angiogenic potential of bone marrow endothelial cells and hampered tumor growth in an MM xenograft mouse model. These results identify HB-EGF-EGFR signaling as a potential target of anti-angiogenic therapy, and encourage the clinical investigation of EGFR inhibitors in combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs as a new therapeutic strategy for MM.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PhilippAbbrederisHerrmannKnopetal.2015,
  author    = {Philipp-Abbrederis, Kathrin and Herrmann, Ken and Knop, Stefan and Schottelius, Margret and Eiber, Matthias and L{\"u}ckerath, Katharina and Pietschmann, Elke and Habringer, Stefan and Gerngroß, Carlos and Franke, Katharina and Rudelius, Martina and Schirbel, Andreas and Lapa, Constantin and Schwamborn, Kristina and Steidle, Sabine and Hartmann, Elena and Rosenwald, Andreas and Kropf, Saskia and Beer, Ambros J and Peschel, Christian and Einsele, Hermann and Buck, Andreas K and Schwaiger, Markus and G{\"o}tze, Katharina and Wester, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and Keller, Ulrich},
  title     = {In vivo molecular imaging of chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression in patients with advanced multiple myeloma},
  series = {EMBO Molecular Medicine},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {EMBO Molecular Medicine},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.15252/emmm.201404698},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148738},
  pages     = {477-487},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {CXCR4 is a G-protein-coupled receptor that mediates recruitment of blood cells toward its ligand SDF-1. In cancer, high CXCR4 expression is frequently associated with tumor dissemination andpoor prognosis. We evaluated the novel CXCR4 probe [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor for invivo mapping of CXCR4 expression density in mice xenografted with human CXCR4-positive MM cell lines and patients with advanced MM by means of positron emission tomography (PET). [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor PET provided images with excellent specificity and contrast. In 10 of 14 patients with advanced MM [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor PET/CT scans revealed MM manifestations, whereas only nine of 14 standard [\(^{18}\)F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT scans were rated visually positive. Assessment of blood counts and standard CD34\(^{+}\) flow cytometry did not reveal significant blood count changes associated with tracer application. Based on these highly encouraging data on clinical PET imaging of CXCR4 expression in a cohort of MM patients, we conclude that [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor PET opens a broad field for clinical investigations on CXCR4 expression and for CXCR4-directed therapeutic approaches in MM and other diseases.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{DuernerReineckerCsef2013,
  author    = {D{\"u}rner, Julia and Reinecker, Hans and Csef, Herbert},
  title     = {Individual quality of life in patients with multiple myeloma},
  series = {SpringerPlus},
  volume    = {2},
  journal   = {SpringerPlus},
  number    = {397},
  doi       = {10.1186/2193-1801-2-397},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130529},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Objective: The situation of patients with multiple myeloma, whose treatment often implies high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation that can be associated with severe symptoms and psychological distress, has gained attention in recent psychooncological research. This study followed an idiographic approach in order to identify the areas of life most relevant for the interviewed myeloma patients' quality of life (QoL) as well as their current satisfaction with these. Methods: 64 patients took part in semi-structured interviews according to the SEIQoL-DW Manual (Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life - Direct Weighting). Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to gain additional information about a general assessment of the present QoL. Qualitative data evaluation preceded quantitative processing. Groups were compared according to the time elapsed since diagnosis regarding specified areas of life, satisfaction with these and their relative weighting. SEIQoL-DW-indices were correlated to the VAS to reflect on an interindividually comparable parameter. Results: Personal social relationships were mentioned significantly more often as important for QoL than healthrelated aspects, and in direct comparison were weighted significantly stronger. Regarding the change of areas relevant for QoL over the time elapsed since diagnosis, there was a significant difference between groups concerning the area of spirituality. Satisfaction differed significantly between groups for the field of leisure. Conclusion: The results for the interviewed patients with multiple myeloma point out the need to take into account the importance of social and individual aspects when reflecting on QoL. Similar findings have been reported for different samples. The relevance of an individualized approach is illustrated by the fact that individually named areas of life were rated comparatively strongly in their importance for the patients' QoL. An overall assessment for the current QoL by means of VAS is regarded as an adequate supplement to the SEIQoL-Profile and an alternative to the SEIQoL-DW-Index.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BachmannSchrederEngelhardtetal.2021,
  author    = {Bachmann, Friederike and Schreder, Martin and Engelhardt, Monika and Langer, Christian and Wolleschak, Denise and M{\"u}gge, Lars Olof and D{\"u}rk, Heinz and Sch{\"a}fer-Eckart, Kerstin and Blau, Igor Wolfgang and Gramatzki, Martin and Liebisch, Peter and Grube, Matthias and Metzler, Ivana v. and Bassermann, Florian and Metzner, Bernd and R{\"o}llig, Christoph and Hertenstein, Bernd and Khandanpour, Cyrus and Dechow, Tobias and Hebart, Holger and Jung, Wolfram and Theurich, Sebastian and Maschmeyer, Georg and Salwender, Hans and Hess, Georg and Bittrich, Max and Rasche, Leo and Brioli, Annamaria and Eckardt, Kai-Uwe and Straka, Christian and Held, Swantje and Einsele, Hermann and Knop, Stefan},
  title     = {Kinetics of renal function during induction in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: results of two prospective studies by the German Myeloma Study Group DSMM},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {6},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers13061322},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234139},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Background: Preservation of kidney function in newly diagnosed (ND) multiple myeloma (MM) helps to prevent excess toxicity. Patients (pts) from two prospective trials were analyzed, provided postinduction (PInd) restaging was performed. Pts received three cycles with bortezomib (btz), cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (dex; VCD) or btz, lenalidomide (len), and dex (VRd) or len, adriamycin, and dex (RAD). The minimum required estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was >30 mL/min. We analyzed the percent change of the renal function using the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)-defined categories. Results: Seven hundred and seventy-two patients were eligible. Three hundred and fifty-six received VCD, 214 VRd, and 202 RAD. VCD patients had the best baseline eGFR. The proportion of pts with eGFR <45 mL/min decreased from 7.3\% at baseline to 1.9\% PInd (p < 0.0001). Thirty-seven point one percent of VCD versus 49\% of VRd patients had a decrease of GFR (p = 0.0872). IMWG-defined "renal complete response (CRrenal)" was achieved in 17/25 (68\%) pts after VCD, 12/19 (63\%) after RAD, and 14/27 (52\%) after VRd (p = 0.4747). Conclusions: Analyzing a large and representative newly diagnosed myeloma (NDMM) group, we found no difference in CRrenal that occurred independently from the myeloma response across the three regimens. A trend towards deterioration of the renal function with VRd versus VCD may be explained by a better pretreatment "renal fitness" in the latter group.},
  language  = {en}
}