Preventing osteolytic lesions and osteomyelitis in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a hematological malignancy affecting the plasma cells. It is the second most common hematologic cancer in adults. Over 90% of patients develop local osteolytic lesions and skeletal-related events at some point during the progression of the disease. Bone lesions can induce severe pain and immobility and can also increase the risk of fractures and osteomyelitis. Skeletal complications are associated with poor clinical outcomes, affecting quality of life and mortality. Current standards of care for myeloma, e.g., autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) and chemotherapy, do not lessen the risk of adverse events in bone. Once bone lesions are present, bone-targeted interventions are limited, with bone antiresorptive drugs being a mainstay of treatment. This review highlights the growing literature surrounding osteolytic lesions and bone infections associated with multiple myeloma and assesses current and emerging treatments. Emerging evidence from clinical trials suggests that denosumab can reduce skeletal-related events, and the potential application of bortezomib/1D11 can reduce bone destruction and pathological fractures in MM patients. Once established, bone lesions are prone to develop osteomyelitis – especially in immunocompromised individuals. Antibiotics and surgical interventions have been used to manage bone infections in most reported cases. As the bone infection risk associated with MM bone lesions become more evident, there is scope to improve patient management by mitigating this risk with prophylactic antimicrobial therapy.