Journal of Blood & Lymph

Measurable Residual Diseases in Haematological Malignancies: Current Applications and Future Direction

Abstract

Salwa Bakr and Ghada El-Gohary

Minimal/ measurable residual diseases represents an independent prognostic indicator for several haematological malignancies helping to predict clinical outcome and enables for further assessment of the effectiveness of treatment. The methods of detection of MRD has remarkably improved regarding sensitivity and specificity, and different methods such as real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR), multi-parametric flow cytometry (MFC), digital PCR or next generation sequencing (NGS) are currently used in clinical practice. Recently, Digital PCR has been adopted for quantitative assessment of MRD. However, the best method still needs to be determined. While enhancement in standardization of the different MRD approaches was reported, optimal timing and specific threshold for intervention need to be defined. Therefore well-designed clinical studies are required to diminish the risk of relapse and improve overall survival.