Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics of the Studied Groups
| Characteristics | Flow Cytometry BMMCs | qRT-PCR CD138+ PCs | qRT-PCR BMMCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 98 | 30 | 38 |
| Age, years | |||
| Median | 65 | 69 | 65 |
| Range | 38–85 | 50–82 | 42–82 |
| Gender, n (%) | |||
| Female | 50 (51.02) | 21 (70.0) | 11 (28.95) |
| Male | 48 (48.98) | 9 (30.0) | 27 (71.05) |
| International staging system (ISS), n (%) | |||
| I | 27 (27.56) | 4 (13.33) | 10 (26.32) |
| II | 30 (30.61) | 13 (43.33) | 14 (36.84) |
| III | 35 (35.71) | 11 (36.67) | 12 (31.58) |
| Not available | 6 (6.12) | 2 (6.67) | 2 (5.26) |
| Monoclonal protein type, n (%) | |||
| IgG | 60 (61.22) | 17 (56.66) 8 (26.67) 5 (16.67) |
23 (60.53) 13 (34.21) 2 (5.26) |
| IgA | 21 (21.43) | ||
| Light chain | 12 (12.24) | ||
| Not available | 5 (5.11) | ||
| Monoclonal protein concentration, n (%)* | |||
| < 3 g/dl | 43 (43.88) | 13 (43.33) | 19 (50.0) |
| ≥ 3 g/dl | 36 (36.73) | 10 (33.34) | 17 (44.74) |
| Not available | 19 (19.39) | 7 (23.33) | 2 (5.26) |
| Plasma cell (%) | |||
| Median | 25 | 37 | 18 |
| Range | 10–84 | 10–84 | 10–80 |
| Hemoglobin, n (%) | |||
| < 10 g/dl | 32 (32.65) | 14 (46.67) 16 (53.33) |
10 (26.32) 28 (73.68) |
| ≥ 10 g/dl | 62 (63.27) | ||
| Not available | 4 (4.08) | ||
| Serum creatinine, n (%) | |||
| < 2 mg/dl | 81 (82.65) | 25 (83.33) 5 (16.67) |
30 (78.95) 8 (21.05) |
| ≥2 mg/dl | 14 (14.29) | ||
| Not available | 3 (3.06) | ||
| Serum calcium, n (%) | |||
| < 2.55 mmol/l | 73 (74.49) | 23 (76.67) | 27 (71.05) |
| ≥ 2.55 mmol/l | 17 (17.35) | 6 (20.0) | 6 (15.79) |
| Not available | 8 (8.16) | 1 (3.33) | 5 (13.16) |
| Lactate dehydrogenase, n (%) | |||
| Normal | 63 (64.29) | 20 (66.67) | 24 (63.16) |
| High | 4 (4.08) | 3 (10.00) | 2 (5.26) |
| Not available | 31 (31.63) | 7 (23.33) | 12 (31.58) |
| High risk cytogenetics, n (%)** | |||
| Yes | 17 (17.35) | 3 (10.0) | 8 (21.05) |
| No | 39 (39.80) | 7 (23.33) | 16 (42.11) |
| Not available | 42 (42.85) | 20 (66.67) | 14 (36.84) |
Notes: *Intact immunoglobulin MM; **del17p, t(4;14) or t(14;16).
Abbreviations: BMMCs, bone marrow mononuclear cells; PCs, plasma cells; qRT-PCR, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.