Table 1.
Patient demographic and clinical characteristics
| N (%) | VTD4 (n = 129) | VTD6 (n = 61) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (range) years | 55.6 (30–63) | 55.4 (40–64) | 0.866 |
| Gender | 0.27 | ||
| Male | 73 (56.6) | 40 (65.6) | |
| Female | 56 (43.4) | 21 (34.4) | |
| ECOG PS | |||
| 0 | 35 (27.1) | 13 (21.3) | 0.334 |
| 1 | 68 (52.7) | 30 (49.2) | |
| 2 | 26 (20.2) | 18 (28.5) | |
| R-ISS | 0.421 | ||
| I | 37 (28.7) | 15 (24.6) | |
| II | 61 (47.3) | 35 (57.4) | |
| III | 31 (24.0) | 11 (18.0) | |
| Albumin, g/L, median (range) | 3.75 (2.0–6.0) | 3.63 (2.0–5.5) | 0.379 |
| β2-Microglobulin ≥ 5.5 mg/L | 41 (31.8) | 18 (29.5) | 0.752 |
| LDH > normal | 25 (19.4) | 7 (11.5) | 0.215 |
| Creatinine level, mmol/L, median (range) | 1.14 (0.53–8.26) | 1.27 (0.68–11.96) | 0.127 |
| Hemoglobin level, g/dL, median (range) | 10.1 (6.0–16.2) | 10.0 (4.0–15.0) | 0.192 |
| Calcium level, mmol/L, median (range) | 9.32 (7.0–13.2) | 9.22 (6.2–15.3) | 0.771 |
| Plasma cells in bone marrow ≥ 60% | 52 (40.6) | 23 (37.7) | 0.752 |
| FISH* | |||
| t(4;14) | 20 (18.5) | 12 (26.7) | 0.564 |
| t(14;16) | 5 (4.6) | 6 (13.3) | 0.179 |
| t(14;20) | 2 (1.6) | 2 (4.1) | 0.225 |
| 17p13 deletion | 12 (11.1) | 9 (20.0) | 0.322 |
| Amplification of 1q21 | 41 (40.0) | 11 (24.4) | 0.056 |
Data are presented as number (%) unless otherwise indicated. VTD4 indicates four cycles of bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone; and VTD6 indicates six cycles of bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone. ECOG PS Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, R-ISS revised international staging system, LDH lactate dehydrogenase, FISH fluorescent in situ hybridization