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Racial differences in primary cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma: a multi-center study
A J Greenberg1, S Philip2, A Paner3
1Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Blood Cancer Journal
|January 3, 2015
Summary
Black patients with multiple myeloma (MM) show different cytogenetic profiles compared to white patients. These differences in genetic abnormalities, including immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) translocations and chromosomal deletions, are significant in MM subtypes.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy with diverse cytogenetic subtypes.
- Understanding these subtypes is crucial for prognosis and treatment strategies.
- Previous studies have characterized MM cytogenetics primarily in Caucasian populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the prevalence of specific cytogenetic abnormalities in Black patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).
- To compare these findings with a well-characterized Caucasian cohort from the Mayo Clinic.
- To identify potential differences in MM subtypes between racial groups.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of cytogenetic data from 292 Black patients with newly diagnosed MM.
- Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) testing results were utilized.
- Comparison of prevalence rates of four key cytogenetic abnormalities (t(11;14), t(4;14), monosomy 13/del13q, monosomy 17/del17p) with a cohort of 471 Caucasian MM patients.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in the prevalence of t(11;14) immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) translocation between Black (6.5%) and White (17.6%) patients (P<0.0001).
- Black patients exhibited lower rates of t(4;14) IgH translocation (5.5% vs 10%), monosomy 13/del13q (29.1% vs 49.3%), and monosomy 17/del17p (7.9% vs 13%).
- A higher proportion of Black patients (63.4%) lacked these four specific abnormalities compared to White patients (34.6%) (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
- There are significant disparities in the cytogenetic landscape of multiple myeloma between Black and White populations.
- The observed differences suggest that MM in Black individuals may be associated with alternative genetic alterations, potentially including hyperdiploid MM or other IgH translocations.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the full spectrum of MM cytogenetics in diverse populations and its clinical implications.
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