Incidence and prognostic value of recurrent chromosomal abnormalities in elderly patients with multiple myeloma

Chromosomal abnormalities are well-established biomarkers used in the subclassification and risk stratification of multiple myeloma patients. Patients with t(4;14)(p16;q32) and deletion 17p13 are considered to have a poor prognosis, and do not respond to any of the available therapies. However, most studies of chromosomal abnormalities incidence and risk stratification have been performed in patients younger than 66 years of age; therefore we have very limited data on the elderly population. This study was designed to uncover the incidence and clinical significance of 17p13 and 13q14 deletions and t(4;14) in a large cohort of clinically annotated multiple myeloma patients older than 66 years of age. Interestingly, the incidence of deletion of 13q14 and t(4;14) decreased with age, being significantly lower in patients >75 years old than in patients <75 years old. Conversely, the incidence of deletion 17p13 was not different between groups. Importantly, this study confirmed that t(4;14) and deletion 17p13 maintain a poor prognosis value in the elderly (66-75 years old) and the very elderly population (>75 years old), regardless of the treatment received.