Prognostic role of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma patients after non-myeloablative allogeneic transplantation

Galimberti, Sara; Benedetti, Edoardo; Morabito, Fortunato; Papineschi, Federico; Callea, Vincenzo; Fazzi, Rita; Stelitano, Caterina; Andreazzoli, Francesca; Guerrini, Francesca; Ciabatti, Elena; Martino, Massimo; Nobile, Francesco; Iacopino, Pasquale; Petrini, Mario

doi:10.1016/j.leukres.2005.01.017

« Previous Next »Leukemia Research
Volume 29, Issue 8 , Pages 961-966, August 2005

Prognostic role of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma patients after non-myeloablative allogeneic transplantation

Sara Galimberti
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 050992815; fax: +39 050830162.
Edoardo Benedetti
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
Fortunato Morabito
- Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Hematology Department, A.O. Reggio Calabria, Italy
Federico Papineschi
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
Vincenzo Callea
- Hematology Unit, Hematology Department, A.O. Reggio Calabria, Italy
Rita Fazzi
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
Caterina Stelitano
- Hematology Unit, Hematology Department, A.O. Reggio Calabria, Italy
Francesca Andreazzoli
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Guerrini
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
Elena Ciabatti
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy
Massimo Martino
- Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Hematology Department, A.O. Reggio Calabria, Italy
Francesco Nobile
- Hematology Unit, Hematology Department, A.O. Reggio Calabria, Italy
Pasquale Iacopino
- Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Hematology Department, A.O. Reggio Calabria, Italy
Mario Petrini
- Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Pisa, Ospedale S. Chiara-Via Roma, 56-56100 Pisa, Italy

Received 27 September 2004; accepted 22 January 2005. published online 07 March 2011.

Abstract

This study evaluates the prognostic value of molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in 20 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) following autologous (peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, PBSCT) and non-myeloablative allogeneic (NMT) transplant.

All patients completed their program, with a treatment-related mortality (TRM) of 20% and a 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 51%.

After PBSCT, only 3 patients (15%) achieved PCR-negativity, versus 12 (60%) after NMT.

The eradication of MRD had a favorable impact on 2-year OS. In fact, 76% of patients with no detectable MRD was still alive versus 34% of persistently IgH-positive cases (p=0.03).

PCR status did not correlate with chimerism percentage: Seventy-five percent of patients achieved full donor chimerism, which was more frequently observed in cases presenting cGHVD (p=0.01).

These data sustain the relevant role of molecular monitoring in MM patients undergoing NMT. MRD monitoring would assist physicians in making additional therapeutic decisions to better control this hematological malignancy.

Keywords: Non-myeloablative transplantation, Minimal residual disease, Chimerism