title: Development of a criterion for response to therapy at 6 months in multiple myeloma.
abstract: To investigate the prognostic value of therapy at 6 months on survival in multiple myeloma, to develop a new criterion assessing response to initial therapy at 6 months, and to compare it to a current criterion. The types of initial and 6-month therapy were considered in a prognostic factor analysis in 70 patients treated in routine practice. Using the response to initial therapy defined by the clinician's decision as grouping variable in this group, a discriminant analysis identified the characteristics of responder patients. The validity of the resulting criterion was tested in another test group. Its prognostic ability was compared to the CLMTF criterion (50% M-component reduction from baseline). The therapy at 6 months, reflecting the clinician's appraisal of response to initial therapy, predicted survival significantly. A criterion combining two variables (M-component change and haemoglobin level at 6 months) classified 70% and 72.4% of patients correctly regarding response status in the training and test groups respectively. This criterion was shown to perform better than the CLMTF criterion in predicting survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A new criterion for response to therapy at 6 months, also presented in a nomogram, combines M-component change and haemoglobin level at 6 months.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, CHU de Nancy, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guillemin
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Guerci
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feugier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Péré
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pourel
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guerci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000378:metabolism; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014750:Vincristine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone; D008558:Melphalan; D002330:Carmustine; D011241:Prednisone