Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients
| Clarithromycin group (N = 27) | Placebo group (N = 31) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | |||
| Age (years) | Median (IQR) | 63 (55.0–66.5) | 63 (55.5–66.0) |
| Male sex | No. (%) | 20 (74.1%) | 20 (64.5%) |
| Type of myeloma | No. (%) | ||
| IgA | 3 (11.1%) | 9 (29.0%) | |
| IgG | 20 (74.1%) | 17 (54.8%) | |
| Light chain | 4 (14.8%) | 5 (16.1%) | |
| International staging system | No. (%) | ||
| I | 7 (%) (25.9%) | 9 (29.0%) | |
| II | 10 (%) (37.0%) | 17 (54.8%) | |
| III | 9 (33.1%) | 4 (12.9%) | |
| Missing | 1 (3.8%) | 1 (3.2%) | |
| Cytogenetic features | No. (%) | ||
| Standard risk | 18 (66.7%) | 18 (58.1%) | |
| High riska | 6 (22.2%) | 8 (25.8%) | |
| Data not available | 3 (11.1%) | 5 (16.1%) | |
| WHO performance status | No. (%) | ||
| 0 | 14 (51.9%) | 17 (54.8%) | |
| ≥ 1 | 13 (48.1%) | 14 (45.2%) | |
| Serum creatinine ≥ 130 µmol/L | No. (%) | 5 (18.5%) | 2 (6.5%) |
| Serum LDH ≥ 260 U/L | No. (%) | 1 (3.7%) | 4 (12.9%) |
| Serum C-reactive protein ≥ 8 mg/L | No. (%) | 9 (33.3%) | 9 (29.0%) |
IQR interquartile range, LDH lactate dehydrogenase
at(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20) or del(17p)