Prognostic factors for the efficacy of thalidomide in the treatment of multiple myeloma: A clinical study of 110 patients in China

Thalidomide (Thal) has been used for a few years as salvage treatment for patients with multiple myeloma ( MM). However, the response rate in Chinese patients treated with Thal has not been determined and the prognostic factors for response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival ( OS) not yet well identified. This study enrolled 110 Chinese patients with MM who received either Thal alone, Thal plus dexamethasone (Thal+Dex) or Thal plus conventional chemotherapy (Thal+CC). Their laboratory and clinical parameters were retrospectively analysed. The overall RR was 63.6% ( complete response rate 6.4%, partial response rate 57.3%). Patients aged <65 years, time from diagnosis to the start of Thal treatment <6 months or combined therapy had a significantly higher RR (p<0.05). In univariate analysis, age <65 years predicted a longer PFS ( p = 0.008). Age <65 years, serum creatinine <176.8 mmol L-1 and serum beta 2 microglobulin (beta 2M) 53.5 mg L-1 were associated with longer OS ( p = 0.028, 0.045 and 0.019, respectively). Multi-factor analysis suggested that serum beta 2M was the only independent prognostic factor for OS ( p = 0.025).