Characteristics of the patients (n = 56)
| Characteristic . | n (%) . |
|---|---|
| Female sex | 18 (32.1) |
| Age, > 60 y | 23 (41.0) |
| Durie-Salmon stage III | 49 (87.5) |
| IgG-Paraprotein | 37 (66.0) |
| Duration of prior therapy > 60 mo | 8 (14.0) |
| Prior high-dose chemotherapy | 34 (60.7) |
| Receipt of > 1 cycle of high-dose chemotherapy | 18 (32.1) |
| Interval between last therapy and TCED ≤ 6 mo | 35 (62.5) |
| Primary refractory | 5 (8.9) |
| Resistant relapse | |
| All | 33 (58.9) |
| After standard chemotherapy | 17 (30.3) |
| After ABSCT | 16 (28.5) |
| Untested relapse after ABSCT | 17 (30.3) |
| Plasma cell leukemia | 1 (1.7) |
| Hemoglobin < 9 g/dL | 13 (23.2) |
| Platelet count < 50/nL | 11 (19.6) |
| Plasma LDH > 240 U/L* | 7 (14.2) |
| Serum β2-microglobulin > 2.5 mg/L* | 43 (76.7) |
| Serum β2-microglobulin > 4 mg/L* | 25 (44.6) |
| Plasma C-reactive protein > 5 mg/L* | 20 (37.5) |
| Plasma Ca > 2.65 mmol/L* | 5 (8.9) |
| Plasma creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL | 7 (12.5) |
| Characteristic . | n (%) . |
|---|---|
| Female sex | 18 (32.1) |
| Age, > 60 y | 23 (41.0) |
| Durie-Salmon stage III | 49 (87.5) |
| IgG-Paraprotein | 37 (66.0) |
| Duration of prior therapy > 60 mo | 8 (14.0) |
| Prior high-dose chemotherapy | 34 (60.7) |
| Receipt of > 1 cycle of high-dose chemotherapy | 18 (32.1) |
| Interval between last therapy and TCED ≤ 6 mo | 35 (62.5) |
| Primary refractory | 5 (8.9) |
| Resistant relapse | |
| All | 33 (58.9) |
| After standard chemotherapy | 17 (30.3) |
| After ABSCT | 16 (28.5) |
| Untested relapse after ABSCT | 17 (30.3) |
| Plasma cell leukemia | 1 (1.7) |
| Hemoglobin < 9 g/dL | 13 (23.2) |
| Platelet count < 50/nL | 11 (19.6) |
| Plasma LDH > 240 U/L* | 7 (14.2) |
| Serum β2-microglobulin > 2.5 mg/L* | 43 (76.7) |
| Serum β2-microglobulin > 4 mg/L* | 25 (44.6) |
| Plasma C-reactive protein > 5 mg/L* | 20 (37.5) |
| Plasma Ca > 2.65 mmol/L* | 5 (8.9) |
| Plasma creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL | 7 (12.5) |
ABSCT indicates autologous blood stem cell transplantation.
Upper level of normal controls for selected laboratory tests: serum β2-Microglobulin: 2.5 mg/L; plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH): 240 U/L; plasma C-reactive protein: 5 mg/L; plasma calcium (Ca): 2.65 mmol/L; plasma creatinine: 1.3 mg/dL.