title: Critical study of staging in multiple myeloma.
abstract: 130 patients with multiple myeloma were reviewed for a retrospective study of their classification according to Durie & Salmon. No significant difference was found in survival between patients in stages I, II and III (median survival 24.8, 32.1, and 17.3 months, respectively). Of the classical criteria affecting survival, only the Hb level showed any significant influence (P less than 0.04). In accordance with this finding, the survival time was much shorter (P less than 0.001) in patients with renal failure than in patients without (median survival 7.4 and 24.8 months, respectively); in addition, thrombopenia, fever, old age, and above all, the % of bone-marrow plasmocytes present, were shown to be decisive factors.
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010950:Plasma Cells; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications