[Clinical significance of absolute lymphocyte count in de novo patients with multiple myeloma]

This study was purposed to investigate the correlation of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in peripheral blood of de novo multiple myeloma (MM) patients with clinical characteristics, therapeutic efficacy and prognosis. The clinical data of 34 de novo patients with MM in our hospital from January 2002 to August 2011 were analysed retrospectively. According to ALC, patients were divided into ALC < 1.3×10(9)/L (n = 15) group and ALC ≥ 1.3×10(9)/L (n = 19) group. The correlation of incipient ALC levels of de novo MM patients with clinical data such as sex, age, type of MM, bone destruction, clinical staging and grouping, levels of LDH, β(2)-MG, creatinine and albumin, as well as therapeutic efficacy was analysed. The results showed that ALC was (0.4 - 2.9)×10(9)/L (median ALC was 1.3×10(9)/L) in untreated patients. The effective rate of therapy was 20% in ALC < 1.3×10(9)/L group while it was 57.9% in ALC ≥ 1.3×10(9)/L group. There was statistical difference in effective rate between two groups (χ(2) = 4.9696, P < 0.05). Compared with the ALC ≥ 1.3×10(9)/L group, the percentage of the CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratio were reduced and the percentage of the CD8 increased (P < 0.05). But no significant differences were found in sex, age, type of MM, bone destruction, clinical staging and grouping, levels of LDH, β(2)-MG, creatinine and albumin in those patients (P > 0.05). It is concluded that ALC in de novo patients with MM may be used as the important indication for analysing therapy effect and prognosis.