TABLE 1.
Characteristics of patients with/without maintenance
| Variable [reference] | Category or statistics | Maintenance (n = 82) | Without maintenance (n = 47) | p‐value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y/o) | Median (range) | 58 (36–74) | 59 (31–72) | 0.772 |
| Gender (%) [Women] | Men | 55 | 57 | 0.887 |
| ISS (%) | I | 40 | 44 | 0.054 |
| II | 43 | 28 | ||
| III | 17 | 28 | ||
| PS (%) [< 2] | ≥2 | 15 | 13 | 0.839 |
| M protein (%) | IgG | 65 | 55 | <0.001 |
| IgA | 11 | 32 | ||
| BJP | 23 | 13 | ||
| IgD | 1 | 0 | ||
| Majority of free light chain (%) [λ] | κ | 68 | 62 | 0.449 |
| Response after ASCT (%) [< CR] | ≥CR | 32 | 53 | 0.039 |
| Response after ASCT (%) [< VGPR] | ≥VGPR | 80 | 87 | 0.486 |
| Observational period (y) | Median (range) | 3.9 (0.3–8.4) | 3.8 (0.3–7.1) | 1.000 |
Note: IgG M protein is the most frequent in both groups. However, in patients without maintenance, IgA M protein is observed more frequently than in those with maintenance (32% vs. 11%). Approximately 32% of patients with maintenance and 53% of patients without maintenance have achieved CR after ASCT.
Abbreviations: ASCT, autologous stem cell transplantation; BJP, Bence Jones protein; CR, complete response; ISS, International Staging System; PS, performance status; VGPR, very good partial response.