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Multiple myeloma in elderly patients: prognostic factors and outcome
Author(s) -
Anagnostopoulos Athanasios,
Gika Dimitra,
Symeonidis Argyris,
Zervas Konstantinos,
Pouli Anastasia,
Repoussis Panagiostis,
Grigoraki Vassiliki,
Anagnostopoulos Nikolaos,
Economopoulos Theophanis,
Maniatis Alice,
Dimopoulos MeletiosAthanasios
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
european journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0902-4441
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.2005.00532.x
Subject(s) - medicine , multiple myeloma , stage (stratigraphy) , plasmacytosis , anemia , surgery , paleontology , biology
Objectives : Purpose of this study was to compare prognostic factors and outcome of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) aged >70 yr at diagnosis with those of younger patients. We also applied the recently proposed International Staging System (ISS) for MM in these patients. Patients and methods : Among 1,162 newly diagnosed, symptomatic MM patients included in our database, 357 (31%) were >70 yr of age. Clinical and laboratory variables were evaluated in patients >70 yr and in younger patients and were assessed for possible correlation with survival in patients >70 yr of age. Results : Most clinical and laboratory features were similar in the two groups of patients but older patients presented more frequently with advanced ISS ( P = 0.02). Despite similar response rates to primary treatment, younger patients survived longer than patients >70 yr of age (40 vs. 28 months, P = 0.001). There was a longer survival of younger patients than that of older patients diagnosed with ISS stage 1 (median 71 vs. 54 months, P = 0.007) and ISS stage‐2 patients (median: 38 vs. 26 months, P = 0.0008) but for patients with ISS stage 3 median survival was similarly poor in the younger and older age group (21 and 20 months, P = 0.283). Other variables associated with impaired prognosis were severe anemia, extensive bone marrow plasmacytosis and elevated serum LDH. Conclusions : Older patients with MM present more often with advanced ISS and have significantly shorter survival than younger patients. The ISS retained its prognostic significance within the group of elderly patients.