POEMS syndrome

To provide an overview of polyneuropathy organomegaly endocrinopathy M-protein and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome, detailing new insights into pathogenesis, prognostic factors, treatments, and outcome scores.

With the development of large multicentre national cohorts of patients, POEMS syndrome is evolving into a well characterized multisystem hematoneurological syndrome. Without early diagnosis significant disability results from the neuropathy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a useful and accurate biomarker supporting diagnosis and following disease activity. The past decade has seen a number of therapeutics become available to patients with POEMS, repurposed from myeloma treatment. Simple treatment algorithms are based on the extent of monoclonal proliferation and the performance status of patients. Risk factors, prognostic scores, and their impact on outcome measures have been developed from deeply phenotyped patient cohorts to predict response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival.

Understanding links between the monoclonal lambda plasma cell disorder and resulting proinflammatory cytokine milieu is fundamental to determining POEMS syndrome pathophysiology. Similarities to chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and some other monoclonal proliferative diseases makes POEMS misdiagnosis common. A range of treatments are available, and more work to identify pathogenic mechanisms and treatment targets and prognostic scores will further enable treatment stratification for optimum outcomes.