Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center: Stem Cells Make Bone Marrow Cancer Resistant To Treatment

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have evidence that cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma share many properties with normal stem cells and have multiple ways of resisting chemotherapy and other treatments. A report on the evidence, published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, may explain why the disease is so persistent, the Johns Hopkins scientists say, and pave the way for treatments that overcome the cells' drug resistance. Multiple myeloma affects bone marrow and bone tissue.