Citations 579

Incidence of Monoclonal Proteins in a Minnesota Community With a Cluster of Multiple Myeloma

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 40 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 719-724

10.1182/blood.v40.5.719.719

Abstract Multiple myeloma was diagnosed in six residents of Thief River Falls, Minn. in 1968 (a rate of 84/100,000). A survey of the normal population for monoclonal serum protein peaks was undertaken in 1969. Serum from 1200 residents of the city, who were 50 yr of age or older, was collected. Fifteen (1.25%) had monoclonal serum protein peaks: IgG in 11, IgA in one, and IgM in three, with kappa in 11 and lambda in four. No clinical, laboratory, or roentgenographic evidence of myeloma or macroglobulinemia was found in any of the patients. The incidence of monoclonal serum protein peaks is similar to that reported from Sweden. It was concluded that there was no significant increase in monoclonal proteins in the population of Thief River Falls. The 1968 socalled epidemic of multiple myeloma in Thief River Falls remains unexplained.
Multiple Myeloma in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1945-1964

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 33 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 739-745

10.1182/blood.v33.5.739.739

Abstract All cases of multiple myeloma diagnosed in bona fide residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, during the years 1945 through 1964 were identified and reviewed. Pathologic material was available for reconfirmation of the diagnosis in 33 of the 35 cases reported. In the remaining two cases the diagnosis was based on roentgenologic findings and protein abnormalities as well as a typical clinical picture. The incidence rate for males was 1.9 times that for females. During the 20 year period covered in this study the average annual incidence rate in the total population has remained about 3/100,000 and when computed for persons 30 years of age and over, it is 6.3/100,000. Incidence figures by place of residence did not reveal a significant difference in the urban-rural rates. Myeloma was listed as a cause of death in 74 per cent of the death certificates. The mean survival time from onset in all cases was about 2 years, with a median survival of approximately 1 year. The age-specific rate increased with age, the highest rates being among male residents 80 years of age and older.
"Intermediate" Cell Types and Mixed Cell Proliferation in Multiple Myeloma: Electron Microscopic Observations

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 27 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 212-226

10.1182/blood.v27.2.212.212

Abstract Bone marrow studies of multiple myeloma revealed, in some cases, a conspicuous proliferation of "lymphoid" cells, virtually indistinguishable by light microscopy from those seen in lympho-proliferative disorders. Electron microscopy demonstrated a variety of cells ranging from typical lymphocytes to cells with plasmocytoid features. Between these two types of elements there were cells with intermediate characteristics. In addition, in several cases of myeloma the presence of fixed reticuloendothelial cells and "reticular" plasma cells (or reticulum cells with plasmocytic features) was frequently noted. The presence of reticulum cells and lymphocytes and of cells apparently "intermediate" between these cellular elements and plasma cells, as judged from electron microscopic observations, is suggestive morphologic evidence of a phenomenon of cell transformation and evidence of a mixed cell proliferation in certain cases of multiple myeloma.
Melphalan in Multiple Myeloma

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 30 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 74-83

10.1182/blood.v30.1.74.74

Abstract 1. A group of 64 myeloma patients was given a loading dose of Melphalan, 0.15 mg./Kg./Dx7. This was followed by a rest period to allow bone marrow recovery to occur, after which maintenance therapy with a maximum of 0.05 mg./Kg./D was started. 2. To obtain good results, drug doses were required which produced significant bone marrow depression. 3. Subjective improvement was noticed in about 65 per cent of patients; objective improvement, in 78 per cent. 4. Fifty-five per cent of the patients had a response as defined in this study. 5. No difference in survival was found between males and females, nor between patients with Bence Jones proteinuria and those without. 6. Patients who have been on treatment for 3 months and were then found to be responders lived longer than similarly treated patients classified as nonresponders.
Occurrence and Prognostic Significance of Cytogenetic Evolution in Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 126 | Issue: 23 | Pages: 4176-4176

10.1182/blood.v126.23.4176.4176

Abstract Background: Cytogenetic evaluation, especially using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), at the time of diagnosis is essential for initial risk stratification and the employment of risk-adapted treatment strategies in multiple myeloma. Little is known about the occurrence and prognostic significance of cytogenetic evolution during follow up. Methods: We studied 433 patients who were diagnosed with multiple myeloma between January 2000 and December 2011 and had at least two FISH evaluations at Mayo Clinic Rochester, including the diagnostic specimen. Bone marrow aspirates were evaluated for deletions, monosomies, trisomies, and tetrasomies using chromosome- or centromere-specific FISH probes. IGH rearrangements were evaluated using an IGH break-apart probe and up to five potential partners (FGFR3, CCND1, CCND3, MAF, and MAFB). Cytogenetic evolution was defined as a new deletion, monosomy, trisomy, tetrasomy, or translocation during follow up. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between the parameters of interest and the presence of cytogenetic evolution in follow-up specimens. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effect of cytogenetic evolution on overall survival. All models were adjusted for sex, age, the presence of high-risk FISH abnormalities, and the number of abnormalities at the time of diagnosis. Likelihood ratio tests were used to assess the goodness of fit of nested models. The χ2 or Fisher's exact test was used to assess the distribution of cytogenetic abnormalities in subgroups. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 60 years (32 - 82), 264 (61%) of the patients were male. The median overall survival for the entire cohort was 7.0 years (6.2 - 7.8). At the time of diagnosis, 150 (35%) and 57 (13%) of the 433 patients presented with a hyperdiploid karyotype and cytogenetic high-risk abnormalities, respectively. Independent of each other, the presence of a translocation at the time of diagnosis was associated with decreased odds of cytogenetic evolution during follow up (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.24 - 0.63, p < 0.001) while the presence of at least one trisomy or tetrasomy at the time of diagnosis was associated with increased odds (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.37 - 4.70, p = 0.003). A greater proportion of patients presenting with a hyperdiploid karyotype experienced cytogenetic evolution during follow up. Those patients more frequently evolved additional trisomies and tetrasomies, while translocations were more common in those presenting with a non-hyperdiploid karyotype (Table 1). The development of additional abnormalities during the three years following diagnosis (compared to no new abnormalities) was associated with increased subsequent mortality in those who survived at least three years (HR 3.22, 95% CI 1.82 - 5.68, p < 0.001). Including the time between first and last cytogenetic evaluation as a covariate did not significantly change the parameter estimates or improve model fit (p = 0.727). Conclusions: Demographics, risk profile, and overall survival of this cohort reflect the fact that patients had to survive long enough to undergo repeated cytogenetic evaluation. Hyperdiploid and non-hyperdiploid genotypes were associated with distinct behavior regarding cytogenetic evolution during follow up. The identification of cytogenetic evolution was an adverse prognostic factor in those who survived at least three years after diagnosis. These findings emphasize the importance of the dynamics of the underlying clonal disease process for accurate risk assessment and suggest that selected subgroups of patients may benefit from risk stratification during follow up. Table 1. Cytogenetic evolution during follow up in 433 patients with multiple myeloma stratified by karyotype at the time of diagnosis Hyperdiploid (n = 150) Non-hyperdiploid (n = 283) p New abnormality 76 (51%) 108 (38%) 0.012 New monosomy 8 (5%) 24 (8%) 0.243 New trisomy 48 (32%) 55 (19%) 0.004 New tetrasomy 37 (25%) 27 (10%) < 0.001 New deletion 17 (11%) 27 (10%) 0.557 New translocation 1 (1%) 11 (4%) 0.065 Most common new abnormality [type (percent of type in each group)] Monosomy mono(13) (75%) mono(13) (62%) Trisomy tri(11) (22%) tri(3) (22%) Tetrasomy tetra(15) (48%) tetra(15) (30%) Deletion del(17p) (79%) del(17p) (63%) Translocation t(11;14) (100%) t(11;14) (36%) Data are given as count (percent) unless denoted otherwise. Disclosures Binder: American Society of Hematology: Research Funding. Kumar:AbbVie: Research Funding; Onyx: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Celgene, Millenium, Sanofi, Skyline, BMS, Onyx, Noxxon,: Other: Consultant, no compensation,; Skyline, Noxxon: Honoraria; Millenium/Takeda: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding.
Higher Plasma Cell Burden Predicts for Early Death In Patients with AL Amyloidosis

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 116 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 1893-1893

10.1182/blood.v116.21.1893.1893

Abstract Abstract 1893 Background: Recent data has shown that the level of immunoglobulin free light chain (FLC) is a prognostic factor for patients with AL amyloidosis. Approximately 25% of patients with AL amyloidosis have coexistent multiple myeloma (MM) with myeloma-related end-organ damage and patients may also present with 310% plasma cells (PC) in the bone marrow (BM) in the absence of any MM features. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of increased BM plasmacytosis in the absence of MM end-organ damage on early mortality. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 263 consecutive patients with AL amyloidosis seen at Mayo Clinic within 30 days of diagnosis from July 2002 – April 2009, to compare the effect of PC burden among those who died within 90 days of diagnosis (n=88) and those who survived more than 90 days after diagnosis (n=175). Only those patients with documented BM PC were included in this study. MM end-organ damage was defined according to the CRAB criteria. Results: In those who died <90 days after diagnosis and patients who lived beyond 90 days, the proportion of patients with 310% BM PC were 57% and 55%, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in the early mortality group when there was 310% BM PC present at diagnosis (25 vs. 54 days, p=0.006), but this was not observed in the group who survived beyond 90 days (Figure 1). In patients with 310% BM PC, troponin-T, ejection fraction (EF), and hemoglobin (Hgb) were significantly worse in the early mortality cohort but patients who survived beyond 90 days had significant increase in intraventricular septal (IVS) thickness and beta-2 microglobulin (Table 1). As expected, patients with 310% BM PC in both cohorts had significantly higher serum M-spike and involved FLC (Table). The same cohort of patients were analyzed substituting MM-related end-organ damage for 310% BM PC and similar results were observed with the exception of uric acid and calcium being significantly higher in the early mortality cohort with MM (results not shown). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that an excess of early—but not late—deaths occur in AL amyloidosis patients with 310% BM PC at diagnosis. In our cohort, this finding can be attributed to higher troponin-T levels, indicating more severe cardiac involvement as observed by worse cardiac function. These findings warrant additional investigation. Disclosures: Lacy: Celgene: Research Funding. Kumar:Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Binding Site: Honoraria.
Natural History of Amyloidosis Isolated to Fat and Bone Marrow Aspirate

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 126 | Issue: 23 | Pages: 5303-5303

10.1182/blood.v126.23.5303.5303

Abstract Background: Light chain Amyloidosis (AL) is characterized by deposition of light chain derived amyloid fibrils in major organs and/or soft tissue. An observational study on natural history and outcome of localized immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis without vital organ (liver, heart, kidney, peripheral and autonomic nervous system) involvement has shown extremely low rate of progression (1%) to systemic amyloidosis at a median follow-up of 74.4 months (Mahmood S et al. The Lancet Haematology; 2015; 6:e241-e250). There is, however, limited evidence in published literature on natural history of AL amyloidosis confined to fat and/or bone marrow biopsy, without involvement of vital organs or other soft tissues. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with AL amyloidosis limited to fat and/or bone marrow aspirate in a single-institution database. Patients were evaluated for progression to systemic amyloidosis. Statistical analysis was done using JMP 10.0.0 (SAS Institute Inc.). Results: We identified 117 patients, with a median age of 70 years, who had light chain amyloidosis detected in abdominal fat aspirate and/or bone marrow biopsy, without systemic involvement. Amyloid was seen in fat only in 39%, marrow only in 54% and in both sites in 7%. The median follow up was 45.6 months (95% CI-38.1-57.7) from detection of amyloid. Of these, 64% were alive at the time of analysis. Among 117 patients, 65 were treated for a diagnosis of another plasma cell disorder made prior to or concurrent with detection of amyloid. The remaining 52 patients only had isolated fat or marrow amyloid. Among 65 patients with another diagnosis of plasma cell disorder requiring treatment, 3 progressed to systemic amyloidosis, one each with cardiac, renal and lymph node (LN) involvement detected at 32, 42 and 65 months respectively from the detection of amyloid. The first 2 patients had underlying multiple myeloma, and the third patient with LN involvement had underlying Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Among 52 patients without another diagnosis of a plasma cell disorder requiring treatment, at a median follow up of 32 months, no progression to systemic amyloidosis was observed. Median overall survival (OS) in 117 patients from detection of amyloid, using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, was 60.2 months (95% CI-48.9-146.1). Conclusion: Our study highlights the fact that isolated amyloidosis detected in fat and/or bone marrow aspirate, in the absence of another plasma cell dyscrasias that require therapy, is unlikely to progress to systemic amyloidosis. Watchful waiting might be considered in such patients after a thorough evaluation to rule out systemic involvement. Disclosures Gertz: Smith Kline: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Onyx: Honoraria; millenium: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Kumar:Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Millenium: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Onyx: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding.
Improvement In Renal Function In Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Improves Survival, but Still Remains Inferior to Those with Normal Renal Function

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 116 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 2970-2970

10.1182/blood.v116.21.2970.2970

Abstract Abstract 2970 Background: Over a quarter of patients (pts) with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) have some degree of renal insufficiency at the time of diagnosis. Multiple studies show that presence of renal failure is strong predictor of inferior overall survival in MM. With effective therapy, renal function improves in a considerable number of patients. It is not clear if the return of renal function to normal levels will improve their outcome to that expected for patients without renal dysfunction. Methods: We evaluated 1478 patients with newly diagnosed myeloma seen at Mayo Clinic within 90 days of diagnosis, between January 1999 and January 2009. We examined these patients for improvement in renal function and identified the lowest serum creatinine obtained during the disease course. The outcomes were analyzed with respect to the renal function improvements. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 64 years (range; 22–93) and 50% were male. The median estimated follow up for the entire cohort was 53 months, with 781 patients alive at the time of analysis with a median follow of 3 years. The serum creatinine was over 1.5 mg/dL at diagnosis in 333 (22.5%) pts and over 2.5 mg/dL in 148 (10%) pts. The median overall survival for the 333 patients was 37 mos (95% CI; 28, 40) compared to 56 mos (95% CI; 51, 63) for those < 1.5 mg/dL; P < 0.001. Among the 333 pts with baseline Cr > 1.5 mg/dl, any improvement in Cr was seen in 263 (79%) including an improvement of at least 0.5 mg/dL in 208 (62%) pts. Among the 263 pts with any improvement, the median time to lowest Cr was 4 months (range; 1–13). The median survival of the group of patients with Cr <= 1.5 mg/dl, over 1.5 mg/dL at diagnosis but improved to <= 1.5 mg/dL, or remained >1.5 mg/dL were 56., 40 and 27 mos respectively; P < 0.001, Figure). We then examined the impact of renal function improvement in the group of patients where the baseline Cr was >2.5 mg/dL. The median OS for the 42 (out of 148 pts with Cr > 2.5 at diagnosis) who had improved to <=1.5 mg/dL was 40 mos compared to 56 mos for those with a Cr <= 1.5 mg/dL at diagnosis and 27.4 mos for the 106 pts whose Cr did not decrease to <= 1.5 mg/dL; P < 0.001. Conclusion: The results of this study point toward improved outcome among patients with renal dysfunction in whom renal function improves. However, it shows that this improvement in renal function does not necessarily improve survival to that observed for the patients with a comparable level of serum creatinine at diagnosis. While early treatment of asymptomatic myeloma has been shown to have little impact on overall survival, a strategy of waiting for serious features of target organ damage to appear before initiation of treatment may have a negative impact on survival in some patients, especially patients with high light chain production who have a higher predilection for renal insufficiency. Disclosures: Kumar: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding. Off Label Use: Lenalidomide for treatment of newly diagnosed myeloma. Dispenzieri:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Binding Site: Honoraria. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding.
In Patients with Light-Chain (AL) Amyloidosis Myocardial Contraction Fraction (MCF) Is a Simple, but Powerful Prognostic Measure That Can be Calculated from a Standard Echocardiogram (ECHO)

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 126 | Issue: 23 | Pages: 1774-1774

10.1182/blood.v126.23.1774.1774

Abstract Background: Amyloidosis is a multisystem disease with extracellular deposition of pathological insoluble beta-fibrillar proteins. Involvement of the heart is seen in more than one-half of the patients with systemic AL amyloidosis and it is the most important determinant of clinical outcome. Cardiac amyloidosis is a restrictive infiltrative cardiomyopathy in which, despite declines in stroke volume that accompany disease progression, the ejection fraction (EF) often remains preserved even in advanced stages of the disease. King et al. proposed a novel index of myocardial function, the myocardial contraction fraction (MCF), defined as the ratio of stroke volume (SV) to myocardial volume (MV). MCF is a measure of myocardial shortening, which differentiated myocardial performance in patients with similar degrees of hypertrophy and in a recent small cohort of AL amyloidosis patients appeared superior to left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) in predicting overall survival (OS). It was our goal to assess the prognostic role of MCF in a large cohort of patients with AL amyloidosis in the context of other prognostic variables. Methods: Patients seen between 4/1/1999 and 2/1/2015 were eligible for this retrospective study if they had an ECHO at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN within 30 days of their AL amyloidosis diagnosis with measurements of left ventricular chamber size and wall thickness needed to calculate MCF, EF, and the presence or absence of pericardial effusion. To capture the full cohort, modeling was done first excluding Mayo (2012) staging and global averaged left ventricular longitudinal peak systolic strain (LV strain) since limited numbers of patients had these studies, 342 and 294, respectively. Thresholds of continuous variables were chosen based on receiver operator curves targeting death at 1-year. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to identify factors that were prognostic for OS. Statistical analyses were done using JMP 9.0 (SAS, Cary, NC). Results: Among the 722 patients satisfying entry criteria,median age was 64 years (range 32-94) and 66% were male. The best cutoff for MCF was 21% (sensitivity: 74%, specificity: 60%; AUC=0.699) and distinguished two groups with different OS (median 53 vs. 9 months, P<0.0001; Figure). On univariate analysis the baseline ECHO variables predicting OS were interventricular septum thickness (IVS) >12 mm (RR 1.8, P=0.0002), EF <60% (RR 1.7), MCF ≤21% (RR 2.1), and presence of pericardial effusion (RR 2.0), all with P<0.0001. On multivariate MCF ≤21% (RR 1.6, P <0.0001), EF <60% (RR 1.4, P=0.0007) and the presence of pericardial effusion (RR 1.3, P=0.002) were independent predictors of OS. Additional modeling was done with the subset of 342 patients who were assessable for Mayo (2012) staging, (i.e. measurements of immunoglobulin free light chain, NT-proBNP, and troponin T). On univariate analysis, patients with a Mayo (2012) stage ≥ 3 had a RR 2.1, p<0.0001. On multivariate, only MCF ≤21% (RR 1.5, P =0.01), Mayo (2012) stage ≥ 3 (RR 1.5, P=0.01) and EF<60% (RR 1.7, P=0.0006) were independent prognostic determinants. Finally, we addressed LV-strain among the 294 patients in whom the study was performed. There was a significant correlation between MCF and LV strain (rho =-0.86, P<0.0001). On univariate, LV-strain less negative than -13 generated a RR of 2.3, p<0.0001. In contrast to the model containing MCF, on LV-strain multivariate, EF was no longer significant, but LV-strain less negative than -13 (RR 2.0, P=0.008) and Mayo (2012) stage ≥ 3 (RR 2.0, P=0.008) predicted independently OS. Conclusions: MCF ≤21% identified a subgroup of patients with a high mortality risk, and it was independent of the Mayo (2012) staging but highly correlated with LV strain. An advantage of MCF, which is a novel volumetric measurement of the left ventricular chamber, is that, unlike LV-strain, MCF is simple to calculate from routine ECHO measures. Figure 1. Overall survival of 722 patients according to MCF<21%. Figure 1. Overall survival of 722 patients according to MCF<21%. Disclosures Kumar: AbbVie: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Skyline, Noxxon: Honoraria; Celgene, Millenium, Sanofi, Skyline, BMS, Onyx, Noxxon,: Other: Consultant, no compensation,; Sanofi: Research Funding; Millenium/Takeda: Research Funding; Onyx: Research Funding.
Arabinosyl Cytosine: A Useful Agent in the Treatment of Acute Leukemia in Adults

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 32 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 507-523

10.1182/blood.v32.4.507.507

Abstract Arabinosyl cytosine (ara-C), a synthetic pyrimidine nucleoside related to the normal metabolites cytidine and deoxycytidine, has been found capable of producing marrow remission at tolerable doses in acute myelocytic and acute lymphocytic leukemia in adults. There were 16 per cent remissions complete in all aspects, 3 per cent complete except for hemoglobin level, and 6 per cent partial remissions among 180 adults with acute myelocytic leukemia treated with any one of 8 variants of infusion duration or daily dose of ara-C. Twenty-four per cent of 37 adults with acute lymphocytic or unclassified leukemia had complete or partial remissions. The comparison of 1, 4, 12 and 24 hours infusion of ara-C (to total dose tolerated) does not show significant superiority for any one group. The complete remission rate with 1 or 12 hour infusions, however, is 25 per cent (superior to that obtained with 6-mercaptopurine) and the recommended schedule of treatment for ara-C based on these data is, therefore, daily infusions of 100 or 50 mg./m.2 in one hour for approximately 3 to 6 weeks followed by maintenance therapy of once weekly subcutaneous injection of 30 mg./m.2 of ara-C. Platelet transfusions should be available when ara-C is used.