The clinical features, chemotherapy responses and survival of 223 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Abstract

To explore the proportion, clinical and laboratory features, chemotherapy responses and long term survival of different kinds of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) in China. The clinical data of 223 cases of newly diagnosed MM patients were gathered in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from Jan, 2000 to Seb, 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. The proportions of each kind of MM including IgG, IgA, light chain, IgD, IgM and biclonal MM were 48.0%, 20.6%, 25.6%, 4.0%, 0.9% and 0.9% respectively. No IgE and nonsecretory myeloma was found. The median age of onset was 58 years, of which that of the IgA type was the oldest one and the light chain type was the youngest (P = 0.004). Bone pain, renal insufficiency, and anemia were the most common symptoms which accounted for 67.7%, 61.0% and 45.3% respectively. The incidences of renal inadequacy, hypercalcemia and pathological fracture in light chain type were higher than those in IgG and IgA types. Besides, no M protein were found in serum protein electrophoresis and no elevation of total globulin. The clinical features of IgD type were similar to that of the light-chain type. The total chemotherapy efficacy rate of 89 patients who were treated with more than 3 cycles in our hospital is 61.8%, which has no difference in all types. Median overall survival of the 89 patients was 33.0 months. IgG is the most common type in MM. Bone pain, anemia, hypercalcemia and renal insufficiency are common symptoms. Immunofixation electrophoresis should be performed routinely to avoid missed diagnosis of light-chain and IgD types of MM.