title: Posttreatment nadir M-protein level is a stronger discriminator of survival following plateau attainment than is percent reduction in M-protein in patients with IgG myeloma.
abstract: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with IgG or IgA myeloma who attained plateau to evaluate the relationships between survival and posttreatment nadir M-protein levels and between survival and the response to treatment evaluated by the percent reduction in M-protein. Of the 127 patients comprising 92 IgG and 35 IgA myeloma patients with disease stages II or III, 51 (40.2%) attained plateau. For IgG myeloma patients who attained plateau, survival time was not affected by the percent reduction in M-protein (median survival, 59.5 months for responding patients versus 54.4 months for nonresponding patients, P = .6910). Posttreatment nadir M-protein level, however, did affect survival time (median survival, 61.2 months for <3000 mg/dL versus 25.7 months for >3000 mg/dL, P = .0439). These findings suggest that the posttreatment nadir M-protein level is a stronger discriminator of survival following plateau attainment than the percent reduction of M-protein in patients with IgG myeloma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Nagoya City Higashi General Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hirabayashi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wakita
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nitta
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D009194:Myeloma Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D009194:Myeloma Proteins; C085016:multiple myeloma M-proteins