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Review

Nature Reviews Cancer 2, 927–937 (1 December 2002) | doi:10.1038/nrc952

Molecular mechanisms of novel therapeutic approaches for multiple myeloma

Teru Hideshima & Kenneth C. Anderson

Multiple myeloma remains largely incurable despite conventional and high-dose therapies, and so novel biologically based treatment approaches are urgently required. Recent studies have characterized the molecular mechanisms by which multiple myeloma cell–host bone-marrow interactions regulate tumour cell growth, survival and migration in the bone-marrow microenvironment. These studies have not only enhanced our understanding of disease pathogenesis, but have also provided the framework for a new treatment model that targets the multiple myeloma cell in its bone-marrow microenvironment to overcome drug resistance and improve patient outcome.