Klin Onkol 2002; 15(Suppl 2002): 7-14.
Summary:
Backgrounds: The current renaissance of the interest in prognostic factors (PF) in multiple myeloma (MM) is determined by the extended possibilities of intensive treatment regimes, which require individual stratification of patients with a need of independent highly predictive prognostic factors.
Design and Subjects: The prognostic significance of 7 selected staging systems and some cytokines and adhesive molecules was evaluated in the group of 237 patients with MM treated between 1991-2002 by conventional therapy.
Methods and results: The prognostic significance was assessed using survival curves (according to Kaplan-Meier) and log rank test (p<0.05). The prognostic meaning of the age was proved (with borderline for 65 years p=0.0005). The high predictive power (p=0.0000) with significant differences in overall survival medians of defined subgroups was found for Hb, S-creatinin, S-albumin, S-beta2microglobulin, S-thymidinkinase and plasmocytes count in the bone marrow. In the case of propidium-iodide index PI/CD138 (percentage of myeloma cells in S-phase of the cell cycle) with identification of plasmocytes using anti-CD138 monoclonal antibody the prognostic „turning point“ was set for the values of 3.0% with survival medians 48 vs. 15 months (p=0.0023). Serum levels of cytokines IL-6, IL-2 and their receptors, TNF-< and adhesive molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 measured by ELISA method at the time point of MM diagnosis did not show any prognostic significance (p=0.15-0.84), just the normal and increased sIL-6R serum levels predicted quite different medians of overall survival (30 vs. 11 months).
Conclusions: This study proved the prognostic meaning of classical PF (age, Hb, creatinin, beta2-mikroglobulin and bone marrow plasmocytes) and also a very good predictive significance and practical clinical utility of PI/CD138 index and S-albumin and S-thymidinkinase serum levels. The analysis of prognostic significance of cytokines and cytoadhesive molecules was disappointing.
