title: Serum osteoprotegerin levels are reduced in patients with multiple myeloma with lytic bone disease.
abstract: Osteoprotegerin (OPG), the neutralizing decoy receptor for the osteoclast activator RANK ligand, was measured in serum taken from patients with multiple myeloma at the time of diagnosis. Median OPG was lower in the patients with myeloma (7.4 ng/mL; range, 2.6-80; n = 225) than in healthy age- and sex-matched controls (9.0 ng/mL; range 5.1-130; n = 40; P =.02). Importantly, OPG levels were associated with degree of radiographically assessed skeletal destruction (P =.01). The median OPG level in patients lacking osteolytic lesions was 9.1 ng/mL, as compared with 7.6 ng/mL and 7.0 ng/mL, respectively, in patients with minor or advanced osteolytic disease. Furthermore, OPG levels were associated with World Health Organization performance status (P =.003) and correlated to serum levels of carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP; P <.001) but not with clinical stage or survival. These findings suggest impaired OPG function in myeloma and give a rationale for OPG as a therapeutic agent against myeloma bone disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, and the Section of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.forename: Ø
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Hjertner
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abildgaard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heickendorff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hjorth
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westin
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hjorth-Hansen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Waage
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sundan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Børset
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D010014:Osteolysis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000097:blood*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; C506030:TNFRSF11B protein, human