Cancer specific Mucin-1 glycoforms are expressed on multiple myeloma

Present therapies cannot cure the large majority of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and therefore new treatment strategies are imperative. This study analysed the different glycosylation profiles of Mucin-1 (MUC1) on MM and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cells using a series of anti-MUC1 antibodies. Seventy-three per cent of the MM patients had plasma cells that expressed the fully glycosylated forms of MUC1. In contrast to controls, normal bone marrow cells and AML cells, the differentiation-dependent and cancer-associated glycoforms of MUC1 were present on 59% and 36% MM tumour cells respectively. This indicated that aberrantly glycosylated MUC1 is a potential immunotherapeutic target in MM patients.