Table 2.
Patient characteristics at the time of MM diagnosis and parameters during thalidomide treatment
| EP at diagnosis (n = 26) | EP in the course of disease (n = 16) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (M/F) | 22/4 | 12/4 | |
| Age (mean ± SD) | 53.24 ± 2.83 | 52.06 ± 3.02 | NS |
| Durie–Salmon stage | |||
| II A | |||
| III A | 22 | 2 | 0.077 |
| III B | 4 | 14 | |
| Ig type | NS | ||
| I gG | 12 | 6 | |
| I gA | 3 | 4 | |
| I gD | 3 | 1 | |
| Light chain (κ/λ) | 4/3 | 1/2 | |
| Nonsecretory | 1 | 2 | |
| Hb (g/L) (mean ± SD) | 93.20 ± 5.08 | 104.13 ± 8.07 | NS |
| WBC (109/L) (mean ± SD) | 5.85 ± 0.55 | 4.64 ± 0.47 | NS |
| Platelets (109/L) | 252.96 ± 54.66 | 165.93 ± 19.88 | NS |
| Serum creatinine (μmol/L) (mean ± SD) | 100.46 ± 12.78 | 113.40 ± 23.88 | NS |
| Serum calcium (mmol/L) (mean ± SD) | 2.421 ± 0.077 | 2.36 ± 0.029 | NS |
| β2-MG (g/L) (mean ± SD) | 5.08 ± 0.83 | 5.14 ± 1.37 | NS |
| CRP (mg/L) (mean ± SD) | 30.42 ± 11.48 | 7.19 ± 1.23 | 0.056 |
| LDH (u/L) (mean ± SD) | 252.96 ± 54.66 | 188.53 ± 19.08 | NS |
| Albumin (g/L) | 33.16 ± 1.44 | 37.80 ± 1.77 | NS |
| BM: total plasmocytes (%) (mean ± SD) | 28.14 ± 5.06 | 44.57 ± 4.63 | 0.022 |
| BM: premature plasmocytes (%) (mean ± SD) | 22.86 ± 4.55 | 36.83 ± 4.11 | 0.029 |
| PB: plasmocyte (n) | 2 | 1 | |
| ISS | 0.027 | ||
| I stage | 6 | 8 | |
| II stage | 15 | 3 | |
| III stage | 5 | 5 | |
| Thal. (n) | 12 | 10 | NS |
| Thal. accumulative used time (month) (mean ± SD) | 4.07 ± 0.75 | 12.2 ± 4.65 | 0.073 |
| Thal. accumulative dose (g) (mean ± SD) | 28.64 ± 6.75 | 68.25 ± 31.75 | NS |
Abbreviations: BM, bone marrow; CRP, C-reactive protein; EP, extramedullary plasmocytoma; Hb, hemoglobin; Ig, immunoglobulin; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase (normal level < 245 IU/L); NS, nonsignificant; PB, peripheral blood; SD, standard deviation; Thal., thalidomide; WBC, white blood cells.