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Telomere length is a critical determinant for survival in multiple myeloma
Author(s) -
Hyatt Sam,
Jones Rhian E.,
Heppel Nicole H.,
Grimstead Julia W.,
Fegan Chris,
Jackson Graham H.,
Hills Robert,
Allan James M.,
Pratt Guy,
Pepper Chris,
Baird Duncan M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/bjh.14643
Subject(s) - telomere , multiple myeloma , oncology , multivariate analysis , medicine , risk stratification , cohort , multivariate statistics , survival analysis , biology , genetics , dna , statistics , mathematics
Summary The variable clinical outcomes of Multiple Myeloma ( MM ) patients are incompletely defined by current prognostication tools. We examined the clinical utility of high‐resolution telomere length analysis as a prognostic marker in MM . Cohort stratification, using a previously determined length threshold for telomere dysfunction, revealed that patients with short telomeres had a significantly shorter overall survival ( P < 0·0001; HR = 3·4). Multivariate modelling using forward selection identified International Staging System ( ISS ) stage as the most important prognostic factor, followed by age and telomere length. Importantly, each ISS prognostic subset could be further risk‐stratified according to telomere length, supporting the inclusion of this parameter as a refinement of the ISS .