Table 3. Patient demographics and characteristics (n = 73).
| Parameter | MGUS | NDMM | RRMM | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 29 | % | n = 29 | % | n = 15 | % | |
| Median age (range), years | 64 (59–75) | 72 (65–79) | 59 (50–63) | |||
| Sex f/m | ||||||
| f | 11 | 38 | 16 | 55 | 9 | 60 |
| m | 18 | 62 | 13 | 45 | 6 | 40 |
| ISS | ||||||
| I | 7 | 24 | 5 | 33 | ||
| II | 6 | 21 | 5 | 33 | ||
| III | 16 | 55 | 5 | 33 | ||
| Type of Ig heavy chain (serum) | ||||||
| IgG | 18 | 62 | 15 | 52 | 7 | 47 |
| IgM | 7 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| IgA | 2 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 7 |
| IgD | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Light chain only | 2 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 5 | 33 |
| Type of Ig light chain (serum) | ||||||
| Kappa | 17 | 59 | 17 | 59 | 7 | 47 |
| Lambda | 12 | 41 | 12 | 41 | 8 | 53 |
| β-2 microglobulin >UNV | 10 | 35 | 23 | 86 | 10 | 71 |
| LDH >UNV | 1 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 5 | 33 |
| Creatinine ≥1.3 mg/dl | 5 | 17 | 17 | 59 | 6 | 40 |
| Serum calcium > UNV | 1 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 20 |
| Haemoglobin ≤ 12 g/dl | 14 | 48 | 25 | 86 | 9 | 60 |
| Platelets < 100,000/mm3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 8 | 53 |
| Osteolytic bone lesions | 0 | 0 | 27 | 93 | 15 | 100 |
| Cytogenetic standard risk | 1 | 3 | 9 | 31 | 4 | 27 |
| Cytogenetic high risk | 1 | 3 | 15 | 52 | 10 | 66 |
| Cytogenetic not available | 27 | 94 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 7 |
| Therapy lines at samples collection | ||||||
| 1st line | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2nd line | 3 | 20 | ||||
| 3rd line | 5 | 33 | ||||
| 4th line | 1 | 7 | ||||
| 5th line | 1 | 7 | ||||
| 6th line | 4 | 26 | ||||
| 7th line | 1 | 7 | ||||
| BTZ based therapy | 9 | 60 | ||||
| IMiD based therapy | 6 | 40 | ||||
Abbrevations: N, number of patients; ISS, International staging system; Ig, Immunoglobulin; UNV, upper normal value; LDH, lactate-dehydrogenase; IMiD, Immunomodulatory drugs; BTZ, Bortezomib.