title: Prognostication of the high-risk WM patient.
abstract: Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is characterized by a protracted course in most patients and the median survival may be long. However, a subset of patients may present with more aggressive disease that is associated with short survival. In order to better characterize these "poor-risk" patients, we identified patients who died within 2 years from the initiation of front-line treatment. These patients were older and had more often features of aggressive disease, such as elevated LDH and low serum albumin than the standard-risk population. Furthermore, only a minority of poor-risk patient had a response to initial therapy. However, conventional clinical factors or even the lack on response could not adequately identify poor-risk patients, indicating the need for novel molecular or other markers that would be able to effectively recognize patients at greatest need for aggressive therapies.
authors: Department of Clinical Therapeutics, University of Athens School of Medicine. ekastritis@gmail.com
authors: Efstathios
authors: E
authors: Kastritis
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Gavriatopoulou
authors: Marie-Christine
authors: MC
authors: Kyrtsonis
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Michael
authors: Evdoxia
authors: E
authors: Hadjiharissi
authors: Argiris
authors: A
authors: Symeonidis
authors: Eurydiki
authors: E
authors: Michalis
authors: Panagiotis
authors: P
authors: Repoussis
authors: Konstantinos
authors: K
authors: Tsatalas
authors: Anastasia
authors: A
authors: Sioni
authors: Zafiris
authors: Z
authors: Kartasis
authors: Ekaterini
authors: E
authors: Stefanoudaki
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Voulgarelis
authors: Sosana
authors: S
authors: Delimpasi
authors: Dimitra
authors: D
authors: Gika
authors: Elissavet
authors: E
authors: Vervesou
authors: Konstantinos
authors: K
authors: Konstantopoulos
authors: Garyfalia
authors: G
authors: Kokkini
authors: Athanasios
authors: A
authors: Zomas
authors: Paraskevi
authors: P
authors: Roussou
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Anagnostopoulos
authors: Theofanis
authors: T
authors: Economopoulos
authors: Evangelos
authors: E
authors: Terpos
authors: Konstantinos
authors: K
authors: Zervas
authors: Meletios A
authors: MA
authors: Dimopoulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D008258:Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology