Multiple Myeloma: a Retrospective Analysis of 61 Patients from a Tertiary Care Center

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an acquired clonal B-cell malignancy which primarily affects elderly individuals with an annual incidence of approximately 1% of all malignancies. Our aim is to study demographic and clinicopathological features of adult Pakistani MM patients at presentation.

This single centre retrospective study extended from January 2010 to December 2014. Data were retrieved from the patients' maintained records on predetermined performa.

Overall, 61 patients were diagnosed at our institution with MM during the study period. There were 43 males and 18 females. Age ranged between 34 and 81 years with a mean of 56.1±12.8 and a median of 57 years. The male to female ratio was ~2:1. Common presenting complaints included fatigue (81.9%), backache (80.3%) and bone pain (67.2%). Physical findings revealed pallor (44.2%) as a presenting clinical feature. The mean hemoglobin value was 8.9±1.7g/dl with a mean MCV of 85.3±11.0 fl. Severe anemia with hemoglobin <8.5 gm/dl was seen in 40.9%. The mean total leukocyte count was 8.9±8.2x109/l, the ANC was 5.0±3.1x109/l and the mean platelet count was 188.4±150.6x109/l.

MM in Pakistani patients is seen in a relatively young population with male preponderance. The majority of patients present with symptomatic anemia and backache to seek medical attention. However, clinico-pathological features appear comparable to the published literature.