Table 1. Patient baseline characteristics.
| Characteristic | Number (%) |
|---|---|
| Age at AHSCT, years; median (min-max) | 50, 5 (35–65) |
| Sex | |
| Female | 27 (51%) |
| Male | 26 (49%) |
| Types of paraproteins | |
| IgG kappa | 24 (45%) |
| IgG lambda | 8 (15%) |
| IgA kappa | 5 (9%) |
| IgA lambda | 3 (6%) |
| Light chain | 7 (14%) |
| Not available | 6 (11%) |
| Durie-Salmon stage | |
| II | 19 (36%) |
| III | 34 (64%) |
| Status before HD Mel with AHSCT | |
| - 1st CR | 19 (36%) |
| - PR, VGPR, 2nd CR | 33 (62%) |
| - SD | 1 (2%) |
| Months between diagnosis and HD Mel with AHSCT; median (interquartile range) | 11.5 (8.7–14.3) |
| Pre-transplant therapy | |
| 1 (bortezomib-based regimens) | 37 (70%) |
| 2 (bortezomib-based regimens + DCEP/EDAP or lenalidomide-containing regimens) | 12 (23%) |
| ≥3 (bortezomib-based regimens + DCEP/EDAP + lenalidomide-containing regimens) | 4 (7%) |
Note: The International Myeloma Working Group’s criteria were followed in defining the responses. Abbreviations: AHSCT, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; CR, complete remission; DCEP, dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, platinol; EDAP, etoposide, dexamethasone, ara-C, platinol; HD Mel, high-dose melphapan; PR, partial response; SD, stable disease; VGPR, very good partial response.