Clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of CD33-positive multiple myeloma

There have been few reports about the CD33 expression on multiple myeloma (MM) cells so far, showing that only a few patients expressed CD33 homogenously on their MM cells. However, in these reports, neither detailed clinical information nor its prognostic significance was described. Therefore, we analyzed the CD33 expression on MM cells from 63 newly diagnosed patients by flow cytometry and the correlation with other clinical parameters to determine the clinicopathological significance of this molecule. Fourteen (22%) patients were positive for CD33. Of the 14 patients with CD33+ MM, >80% of MM cells were positive in six (9.5%). The CD33+ patients had higher beta 2 microglobulin and lactate dehydrogenase levels and higher incidence of anemia and thrombocytopenia than did CD33- patients. The estimated 3-yr overall survival in CD33+ patients was significantly lower than in the CD33- ones (31% and 50%, respectively, P = 0.042). Especially, mortality within a year from diagnosis in the CD33+patients was higher than that in CD33- patients (43% and 10%, respectively, P = 0.005). Serial evaluation of CD33 expression showed that the amount of CD33 significantly increased after a variety of treatment including melphalan and steroid in individual patients. These results suggest that the CD33 expression might be associated with drug resistance to these conventional agents, and CD33 might be a useful target for the development of new therapeutic agents in MM.