Investigators have identified distinct epigenetic pathways in African American and European American patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Hematology & Oncology.

The findings improve the understanding of epigenetic mechanisms underlying disparities in disease diagnosis and reveal potential therapeutic targets.

"We could utilize these population-specific epigenetic modifications to better diagnose in those patients or prevent multiple myeloma in a population-specific way," said Wei Zhang, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention and senior author of the study.

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