Prognostic impact of circulating plasma cells in patients with multiple myeloma: implications for plasma cell leukemia definition.

ABSTRACT: The presence of circulating plasma cells in patients with multiple myeloma is considered a marker for highly proliferative disease. In the study herein, the impact of circulating plasma cells assessed by cytology on survival of patients with multiple myeloma was analyzed. Wright-Giemsa stained peripheral blood smears of 482 patients with newly diagnosed myeloma or plasma cell leukemia were reviewed and patients were classified into 4 categories according to the percentage of circulating plasma cells: 0%, 1-4%, 5-20%, and plasma cell leukemia with the following frequencies: 382 (79.2%), 83 (17.2%), 12 (2.5%) and 5 (1.0%), respectively. Median overall survival according to the circulating plasma cells group was 47, 50, 6 and 14 months, respectively. At multivariate analysis, the presence of

SUBMITTER: Granell M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5451342 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature