IMPROVED CYTOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF BONE-MARROW PLASMA-CELLS AFTER CYTOKINE STIMULATION IN MULTIPLE-MYELOMA - A REPORT ON 46 PATIENTS

Cytogenetic analysis was successfully performed in 46 consecutive myel oma patients (40 newly diagnosed and six relapsed patients). Karyotype was performed on bone marrow cells after long-term cultures (6 d) sti mulated by GM-CSF, GM-CSF + IL6 or GM-CSF + IL6 + 11.3. Nineteen patie nts (41%) had cytogenetic abnormalities including 17/40 patients at di agnosis (42.5%) and 2/6 patients at relapse. Hyperdiploidy was found i n 12 patients and hypodiploidy in four patients. Of the 17 newly diagn osed patients with cytogenetic abnormalities, five died from myeloma a fter 1-14 months and three other patients had primary drug resistance. Our results suggest that cytogenetic analysis after stimulation of cu ltures by cytokines detects clonal abnormalities in 40-50% of newly di agnosed myeloma patients and that these patients often have a short su rvival and/or primary drug resistance.