title: [Clinical significance of abnormal protein bands in multiple myeloma treated with bortezomib-based induction regimen and autologous stem cell transplantation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical significance of abnormal protein bands (APB) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated with bortezomib-based induction regimen and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight MM patients submitted to bortezomib-based induction therapy and ASCT from January 2007 to July 2012 were retrospectively studied. Monoclonal protein was detected by immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all 68 patients, 33 (48.5%) patients had APB. At the first emergence of an APB, two patients with light chain type achieved CR and before transplantation, and thirty-one patients were after transplantation with median time of 104 (ranged 33-404) days. The median duration of APB appearance was 105 (ranged 35-801) days. Patients who developed APB compared with those without APB, had a significantly higher CR plus very good partial response (VGPR) rates (100.0% vs 85.7%%, P=0.017) and CR rates (87.9% vs 62.9%) (P=0.03). There were no significant differences in gender, age, HGB, ALB, β2-microglobulin, M protein type, Durie-Salmon and ISS stages, the case number of first line or second line treatment, induction courses of bortezomib-based regimen, and the mode of ASCT. With a median follow-up of 33.4 (ranged 7.0-71.7) months, patients with APB tended to have a longer overall survival (OS) versus non-APB patients, although no significant difference obtained (P＞0.05). Among APB patients, OS was longer in patients whose appearance of APB occurred ＜6 months after transplantation than those ≥ 6 months, but the significant difference was not obtained yet (P＞0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients who developed APB had a significantly better response to bortezomib-based induction regimen followed ASCT. APB emergence has a good prognostic significance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: He-hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun-ru
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jing-li
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Mian-sheng
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Wai-yi
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Duo-rong
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001897:Boronic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069286:Bortezomib; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D009194:Myeloma Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D001897:Boronic Acids; D009194:Myeloma Proteins; D011719:Pyrazines; C085016:multiple myeloma M-proteins; D000069286:Bortezomib