[Clinical characteristics and prognosis of 46 patients with macrofocal multiple myeloma]

W W Yan1, H S Fan1, J Y Xu1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China.

Insights

Macrofocal multiple myeloma (MFMM) patients showed a higher complete response rate and longer progression-free survival and overall survival compared to typical myeloma patients. MFMM is a distinct subtype with unique characteristics and a better prognosis.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Oncology
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Macrofocal multiple myeloma (MFMM) is a less common presentation of multiple myeloma.
  • Understanding MFMM's distinct clinical features and outcomes is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment response, and prognosis of MFMM patients.
  • To compare MFMM outcomes with a matched cohort of typical multiple myeloma (MM) patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 46 MFMM patients and 92 matched MM controls diagnosed between January 2013 and December 2019.
  • Comparison of clinical characteristics, International Staging System (ISS) stages, cytogenetics, treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

Main Results:

  • MFMM patients presented with more plasmacytomas (43.5% vs 18.5%) and a higher rate of translocation (11;14) (32.4% vs 9.4%).
  • MFMM group had a significantly higher complete response (CR) rate (78.3% vs 60.9%).
  • MFMM patients demonstrated longer median PFS (77.5 vs 39.8 months) and significantly longer OS (not reached vs 68.2 months).

Conclusions:

  • Macrofocal multiple myeloma is characterized by distinct features, including a higher incidence of plasmacytomas and translocation (11;14).
  • MFMM patients exhibit superior treatment response and improved long-term survival outcomes compared to typical myeloma.
  • MFMM represents a prognostically favorable subtype of multiple myeloma.