IMPACT OF RESPONSE TO TREATMENT ON SURVIVAL IN MULTIPLE-MYELOMA - RESULTS IN A SERIES OF 243 PATIENTS

Two hundred and forty-three patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma ( MM) in a single institution over a 22-year period and treated with sta ndard chemotherapy were analysed in an attempt to determine the impact of response to therapy on survival. The overall response rate in 229 evaluable patients was 50.1% (34.9% objective response plus 15.2% part ial response). Median survivals of patients with objective and partial response were 43.4 and 42.8 months, respectively, versus 19 months fo r nonresponders. Median survival of 14 patients who achieved a complet e remission was 42 months, whereas in 21 rapid responders (less than o r equal to 2 months) median survival was 43.3 months, A significant co rrelation between response and survival was observed with the landmark (P = 0.0169), the Mantel and Byar (P = 0.0001) and the Cox regression model (P < 0.0001) methods. These results indicate that, in respondin g patients, neither the degree of response nor the response kinetics h as a significant influence on survival. However, the response to thera py is associated with a significantly longer survival in MM patients.