Table 1.
Characteristics of patients
| Characteristics | All patients (N = 90) (%) |
|---|---|
| Age, years; median (range) | 61 (29–84) |
| Sex (M/F) | 48 (53)/42 (47) |
| Serum M-protein | |
| IgG | 47 (52) |
| IgA | 22 (24) |
| Light chain, kappa | 7 (8) |
| Light chain, lambda | 11 (12) |
| Others | 3(3) |
| Durie-Salmon stage | |
| I/II/III | 7 (8)/5 (5)/78 (87) |
| ISS stage | |
| I/II/III/NA | 21 (23)/27 (30)/29 (32)/13 (14) |
| Cytogeneticsa | |
| Standard risk/high risk/NA | 61 (68)/20 (22)/9 (10) |
| Myeloma bone disease on plain radiographs, yes/no | 74 (82)/16 (18) |
| Time since diagnosis, years; median (range) | 3.2 (0.5–9.5) |
| Previous number of therapiesb, median (range) | 2 (1–7) |
| ≤ 2 | 53 (59) |
| > 2 | 37 (41) |
| Previous ASCT | 49 (54) |
| Previous therapy before Len-dex | |
| Bortezomib-based regimens | 36 (40) |
| Both bortezomib- and thalidomide-based regimens | 54 (60) |
| Laboratory data | |
| Serum M-proteinc, g/dL, median (range) | 2.36 (1.02–6.06) |
| Difference between serum iFLC and uninvolved FLC, median (range) | 237.1 (5.2–34,151.9) |
| Hb, g/dL, median (range) | 11.0 (6.8–15.3) |
| Ca, mg/dL, median (range) | 9.0 (7.2–12.1) |
| LDH, U/L, median (range) | 395.5 (153–1078) |
ASCT autologous stem cell transplantation, iFLC involved free light chain, Len-dex lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone, NA not available, LDH lactate dehydrogenase
aHigh-risk cytogenetics is defined as hypodiploid or deletion of chr13 on conventional cytogenetics or presence of t(4;14), t(14;16), and -17p on fluorescent in situ hybridization and/or conventional cytogenetics. All other cytogenetic abnormalities were considered standard risk
bInduction + ASCT was considered one therapeutic line
cPatients with measurable serum M protein of at least 1 g per 100 mL were included