Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether blood transfusions affect overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. A total of 181 patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: 68 patients in the transfused group and 113 patients in the nontransfused group. Statistical analyses showed that there were significant differences in ECOG scoring, Ig isotype, platelet (Plt) counts, hemoglobin (Hb) level, serum creatinine (Scr) level, and β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) level between the two groups. Univariate analyses showed that higher International Staging System staging, Plt counts < 100 × 109/L, Scr level ≥ 177 μmol/L, serum β2-MG ≥ 5.5 μmol/L, serum calcium (Ca) ≥ 2.75 mmol/L, and thalidomide use were associated with both OS and PFS in MM patients. Age ≥ 60 was associated with OS and Ig isotype was associated with PFS in MM patients. Moreover, blood transfusion was associated with PFS but not OS in MM patients. Multivariate analyses showed that blood transfusion was not an independent factor for PFS in MM patients. Our preliminary results suggested that newly diagnosed MM patients may benefit from a liberal blood transfusion strategy, since blood transfusion is not an independent impact factor for survival.
Highlights
Blood transfusion is an important therapeutic tool for patients with critical or malignant diseases
Jaime-Perez et al found that, in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the number of blood products transfused correlated with poor survival, which may reflect the severity of the disease [10]
MM is an incurable plasma cell disease characterized by the proliferation of malignant monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and accounts for 10% of hematological malignancies
Summary
Blood transfusion is an important therapeutic tool for patients with critical or malignant diseases. Several studies showed that components of transfused blood contain several factors that are important for the survival of tumor cells or perturb the recipient’s immune system such as VEGF, PDGF-D, tissue plasminogen activator, TGF-β, IL-2, IFN-γ, and IL-10 [2]. The effects of blood transfusion on survival in patients with solid tumors remain controversial [3,4,5,6,7]. Few studies have examined the relationship between blood transfusion and shortterm or long-term adverse effects [8,9,10]. To date, BioMed Research International we have not found any studies elucidating the relationship between blood transfusion and survival in patients with multiple myeloma (MM)
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