Amplification of Chromosome 1q Predicts Poor Overall Survival in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients

Chromosome 1q copy number alterations are common in newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma, and in most published studies, there is no distinction made between three copies or the addition of at least four copies. The impact of these copy number alterations on patient outcome and optimal treatment is not fully understood.

We retrospectively analyzed 136 transplant eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma from our national registry, who were treated with first autologous stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. The primary endpoint was overall survival.

Patients with at least four copies of chromosome 1q had the poorest prognosis, with an overall survival of only 28.3 months. In multivariate analysis, four copies of chromosome 1q were the only statistically significant factor for overall survival.

Despite the use of novel agents, transplantation, and maintenance therapy, patients with a gain of four copies of chromosome 1q have a very poor survival rate. Therefore, prospective studies using immunotherapy in this patient population are necessary.