title: CR represents an early index of potential long survival in multiple myeloma.
abstract: To assess the impact of CR on survival in multiple myeloma. Retrospective evaluation of response and survival among 758 consecutive patients with multiple myeloma treated at a single center, of whom 395 patients received intensive therapy supported by autologous stem cells within the first year. Survival times were calculated after 1 and 2 years from the start of chemotherapy. On the basis of the response status after a 2-year landmark, the subsequent median survival was 9.7 years for patients with CR, 4.4 years for those with PR and 2.7 years for patients with NR (P<0.001). Longer survival was attributed in part to intensive therapy that converted the myeloma of 67% of patients with NR to PR or CR, and induced CR in 26% of patients with PR. Intensive therapy did not prolong survival for patients with CR after primary therapy. For patients with multiple myeloma, Cox regression analyses showed that CR was the dominant prognostic factor for long survival, followed by stage I disease, PR and intensive treatment as independent factors. A cure fraction of 2% was identified for nine patients who have remained in CR >10 years.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030-4009, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Delasalle
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giralt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qazilbash
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Handy
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alexanian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult