Advances in Plasma Cell Dyscrasias

Dear Colleagues,

Plasma cell dyscrasias are a biologically and clinically heterogeneous group of diseases primarily characterized by the clonal expansion of plasma cells and monoclonal protein secretion. Significant research advances in the field during the past few years have led to improved outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma, AL amyloidosis and lymphoproliferative disorders such as Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. The ever-increasing understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in disease pathogenesis and interactions in the tumor microenvironment have led to improved diagnostics, prognostication and novel agent development. Risk characterization of smoldering multiple myeloma has changed, and treatment initiation has shifted to earlier stages of disease. Minimal residual disease assessment by NGF and NGS has become a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials, and is being increasingly incorporated into clinical practice as it reflects the depth of disease remission and correlates strongly with prognosis for patients with multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis. In addition to immunomodulatory agents, proteasome inhibitors and anticd38 monoclonal antibodies, novel molecular targets and cellular immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells and/or bispecific antibodies have changed the treatment landscape. Immunotherapy will probably be the next revolution in treatment for plasma cell malignancies. Patients with plasma cell leukemia, POEMs and other rare entities have also benefited from the development of new agents. The goal of this Special Issue is to highlight important advances that have taken place in the diagnosis, management and treatment of plasma cell dyscrasias in recent years, and welcomes all papers that address aspects in these areas.

Dr. Despina Fotiou
Dr. Maria Gavriatopoulou
Dr. Ioannis Ntanasis-Stathopoulos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.