Table 1.
Patients’ characteristics
| Variable | n/N (%) |
|---|---|
| Age > 55 years old | 35/56 (63) |
| Male | 36/56 (64) |
| Durie–Salmon stage 3 | 51/56 (91) |
| International Staging System | |
| Stage 1 | 28/56 (50) |
| Stage 2 | 17/56 (30) |
| Stage 3 | 11/56 (20) |
| M protein | |
| IgG | 28/56 (50) |
| BJP | 12/56 (21) |
| IgA | 14/56 (25) |
| IgD | 2/56 (4) |
| kappa light chain | 34/56 (61) |
| λαµβαλιγητχηαιν | 22/56 (39) |
| Stem cell transplantation | 26/56 (46) |
| Chromosomal abnormality | 14/52 (27) |
| Albumin <30 g/L | 17/56 (30) |
| β2 microglobulin >3.5 mg/L | 24/56 (43) |
| Lactate dehydrogenase > 200 IU/L | 21/56 (38) |
| Hb <85 g/L | 17/56 (30) |
| C‐reactive protein > 10 mg/L | 7/56 (13) |
| Serum Cr >15 mg/L | 6/56 (11) |
| Corrected calcium >10.2 mg/dL | 9/55 (16) |
| Bone marrow plasma cell >30% | 15/53 (28) |
| No response to the last therapy | 37/56 (66) |
| Plasma concentrations >2 mg/L | 25/43 (58) |
| Previous therapy >6 courses | 38/55 (69) |
| Primary refractory case | 14/56 (25) |
| Pretreatment growth factor level | |
| Hepatocyte growth factor >0.3 ng/L | 18/52 (35) |
| Fibroblast growth factor‐2 >7.67 ng/L | 38/52 (73) |
| Vascular endothelial growth factor >38.3 ng/L | 36/52 (69) |
BJP, Bence‐Jones protein; Cr, creatinine; Hb, hemoglobin; n, number of patients; N, number with valid data for each factor.