title: Serum BAFF levels are related to angiogenesis and prognosis in patients with multiple myeloma.
abstract: B-cell activating factor (BAFF) is a B-cell growth factor. We measured its serum levels and correlated them with parameters of disease activity, as serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and lactate dehydrogenase, bone marrow microvascular density and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression, in 50 myeloma patients, in 22 of them in plateau phase and in 20 controls. All of them were higher in patients and in advanced disease while reduced in plateau phase. BAFF correlated with all the above markers. Higher BAFF levels predicted a shorter survival, suggesting an important prognostic marker and a possible therapeutic target in myeloma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fragioudaki
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsirakis
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pappa
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aristeidou
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsioutis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alegakis
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kyriakou
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Stathopoulos
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Alexandrakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human