Prognostic validation of the international classification of immunoglobulin M gammopathies: a survival advantage for patients with immunoglobulin M monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance?
OBJECTIVE
To verify the reliability of the new criteria for the diagnosis of IgM gammopathies recently proposed by an international panel of experts (Athens, 2002).


METHODS
A retrospective series of 698 patients with IgM gammopathy was reviewed paying attention to symptoms, serum IgM concentration, bone marrow infiltration, blood cell count and clinical course. Four clinical entities can be identified: IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (IgM-MGUS), asymptomatic and symptomatic Wandenstrom's macroglobulinemia (A-WM and S-WM, respectively), and IgM-related disorders, although this last was excluded from the study because of the scarcity of patients due to probable selection biases. The observed mortality was studied related to that expected in the general population of comparable age and sex and over an equivalent period of follow-up (standardized mortality ratio, SMR).


RESULTS
IgM-MGUS, A-WM, and S-WM shared many clinical aspects but, with respect to the general population, patients with IgM-MGUS had a slight but definite survival advantage, those with A-WM had a mortality rate equivalent to that of the general population, whereas the SMR of patients with S-WM was 5.4. Within A-WM and S-WM the SMR values did not vary significantly in relation to marrow lymphocyte counts or serum IgM concentrations.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings represent a prognostic validation of the applied diagnostic criteria for three of the four identifiable clinical entities and highlight the importance of symptoms over serum IgM concentration and marrow infiltration.
Gobbi
Paolo G
PG
Medicina Interna e Oncologia Medica and Laboratorio di Ricerche Biotecnologiche, Università di Pavia, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Piazzale Golgi no. 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy. gobbipg@smatteo.pv.it
Baldini
Luca
L
Broglia
Chiara
C
Goldaniga
Maria
M
Comelli
Mario
M
Morel
Pierre
P
Morra
Enrica
E
Cortelazzo
Sergio
S
Bettini
Roberto
R
Merlini
Giampaolo
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D008258:Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
D007075:Immunoglobulin M