Levels of beta 2 microglobulin have a prognostic relevance for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with regard to survival and the risk of transformation into acute myelogenous leukemia

Neumann, Frank; Gattermann, Norbert; Barthelmes, Hans-Ulrich; Haas, Rainer; Germing, Ulrich

doi:10.1016/j.leukres.2008.06.003

« Previous Next »Leukemia Research
Volume 33, Issue 2 , Pages 232-236, February 2009

Levels of beta 2 microglobulin have a prognostic relevance for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with regard to survival and the risk of transformation into acute myelogenous leukemia

Frank Neumann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 211 8117720; fax: +49 211 8118853.
Norbert Gattermann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
Hans-Ulrich Barthelmes
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
Rainer Haas
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
Ulrich Germing
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany

Received 11 April 2008; received in revised form 2 June 2008; accepted 3 June 2008. published online 07 March 2011.

Abstract

We evaluated the relevance of beta 2 microglobulin (B2M) plasma concentration in 109 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) from the Duesseldorf registry. Sixty-five patients with B2M level ≥2mg/dl showed a significantly lower overall survival time with a median of 23 in comparison to 61 months for 44 patients with B2M below 2mg/dl. The risk of AML evolution was higher in patients with B2M≥2mg/dl. Using multivariate analysis we found the B2M level at the time of diagnosis to be an independent prognostic parameter for survival and for the risk of developing AML in high-risk MDS patients.