Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our 2020 Special Issue “Multiple Myeloma Bone Disease—Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment”.

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains a rarely curable plasma cell disorder in the bone marrow, in which 80% of patients already at diagnosis show signs of bone disease, including osteolytic bone destruction and osteoporosis, with symptoms of severe pain and fractures. Due to skeletal-related pathologies, morbidity and mortality of patients is increased, affecting their quality of life. MM cells interfere with bone homeostasis by inhibiting osteoblast function and stimulating osteoclast activity, resulting in massive bone destruction and often multiple focal lesions. The use of bisphosphonates, local irradiation, and orthopedic intervention are standard treatment options. Current therapies often fail to heal bone lesions and to regenerate bone tissue even if active disease is absent. New approaches are needed for better detection and improved monitoring of bone structural changes, particularly in very early stages of the disease, before lytic lesions develop. In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions to all aspects of pathobiology, symptoms, diagnostic tools, and novel treatment options of MM bone disease. Preclinical fundamental and translational work is encouraged, including studies in precursor cells of the bone microenvironment, mouse studies, and novel bioreactor systems to imitate the cell–cell interactions between MM cells and their microenvironment.

Prof. Dr. Franziska Jundt
Guest Editor

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• Mouse studies
• Bone microenvironment
• Mesenchymal stem cells
• Signaling pathways
• Cell–cell interactions
• Imaging techniques
• Novel biomarkers