title: Effect of pathologic fractures on survival in multiple myeloma patients: a case control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a B cell neoplasm characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells. Skeletal complications are found in up to 80% of myeloma patients at presentation and are major cause of morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  49 patients were enrolled with MM admitted to Black Sea Technical University Hospital between 2002-2005. Pathologic fractures (PFs) were determined and the patients with or without PF were followed up minimum 3 years for survival analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PF was observed in 24 patients (49%) and not observed in 25 patients (51%). The risk of death was increased in the patients with PF compared with patients who had no fractures. While overall survival was 17.6 months in the patients with PFs, it was 57.3 months in the patients with no PFs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that PFs may induce reduced survival and increased mortality in the MM patients, however, larger sample size is essential to draw clearer conclusions added to these data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Karadeniz Technical University, School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey. mesonmez@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sonmez
authors.forename: Tulin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akagun
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Topbas
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cobanoglu
authors.forename: Bircan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sonmez
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Ercument
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ovali
authors.forename: Serdar Bedii
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Omay
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D015996:Survival Rate