[The Effect of Improved Culturing Method on the Detection Rate of Chromosome Karyotyping in Multiple Myeloma]

To investigate an improved culturing method for karyotyping analysis, and increase the detection rate of cytogenetic abnormalities in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), so as to provide more powerful information for the clinical diagnosis, prognosis stratification, and individualized treatment of MM patients.

Eighty newly-diagnosed MM patients were enrolled and divided into two groups. In observation group, IL-6 (10 ng/ml) and GM-CSF (30 ng/ml) were supplemented in the culture medium, while no stimulating factor was added in control group. The samples from both groups were cultured for 72 hours under the same conditions, and their karyotypes were analyzed by G-banding. The detection rate of the cytogenetic abnormalities, as well as the corresponding characteristics were compared between the two groups.

The detection rate of the chromosome aberrations was greatly increased in the observation group compared with the control group, the overall detection rate was 72.5% and 22.5%, respectively, as well as 80.0% and 19.2% in the subgroup of ≤60 years old, 68.0% and 28.6% in the subgroup of > 60 years old, which showed significant statistical differences (P<0.05).

The modification of the culturing method with the addition of IL-6 (10 ng/ml) and GM-CSF (30 ng/ml) dual stimulating factors followed by incubation for 72 hours can effectively increase the detection rate of abnormal karyotypes in MM patients.