Clinical characteristics and prognosis of multiple myeloma with bone-related extramedullary disease at diagnosis

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological neoplasm which results in diffuse or focal bone infiltration and extramedullary lesions. It's reported that infiltration of organs by plasma cells indicated worse prognosis, but the prognosis of patients with bone-related extramedullary disease (bEMD) is still unknown. One hundred and fourteen newly diagnosed MM patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results showed that the clinical features, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with and without bEMD had no statistical significance. Rib (46.1%) and vertebrae (17.9%) are common sites bEMD involved. Patients with diffuse bEMD had worse prognosis compared with patients with focal bEMD. Bisphosphonates played an important role in prolonging the survival of patients with bEMD. Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is sensitive in discovering bEMD than whole body low dose CT suggesting PET/CT to be a promising technique for initial staging. High β2-microglobulin and low albumin indicated shorter survival in patients with bEMD.