[Current approaches to treating of patients with multiple myeloma with renal failure: Questions and proofs]

N-Terminal Fragment of Brain-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) as a Prognostic Marker in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Complicated by Dialysis-Dependent Renal Failure

Prognostic value of N-terminal fragment of the prohormone brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was analyzed in patients with multiple myeloma complicated by dialysisdependent renal failure. The prospective study included 20 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The concentrations of NT-proBNP were measured before antimyeloma chemotherapy. The median age of the patients was 67 (63-76) years. The median glomerular filtration rate was 4 (4, 5) ml/min/1.73 m². For overall survival, the area under ROC curve was 0.75 and the cut-off point was 7000 pg/ml. At median follow-up of 17.3 months, the overall survival was 76.6±14.8 and 27.3±13.4% (p=0.02) for cases with NT-proBNP levels below and above the cut-off point, respectively. There were no cases of death due to cardiovascular causes. We concluded that the increase in serum concentration of NT-proBNP>7400 pg/ml is associated with the severity of kidney damage and the risk of non-cardiac mortality.

Bortezomib overcomes the negative prognostic impact of renal impairment in a newly diagnosed elderly patient with multiple myeloma: A case report

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common B-cell hematological malignancy in the clinic. Bortezomib is the first-in-class proteasome inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of patients with MM in the bone marrow. The present study report the case of an 83-year-old man who showed marked weakness, fatigue and a poor appetite. The patient was admitted to the Department of Nephrology due to severe renal impairment (RI). Immunofixation electrophoresis indicated a λ light chain-positive status. There were 19.2% plasmablasts and proplasmacytes in the bone marrow. Positivity for the cell surface markers cluster of differentiation (CD)13, CD33, CD38 and human leukocyte antigen-antigen D-related was detected by flow cytometry. The patient was diagnosed with MM, λ light chain type, stage IIIB, and received bortezomib and dexamethasone regimen chemotherapy. RI was improved following the chemotherapy, and plasmablasts and proplasmacytes were almost eliminated. The Hb level was maintained at ~90 g/l. Overall, the present case report suggests that bortezomib may be safe and effective for elderly patients, even those >80 years of age, with severe RI.