The Analysis of Thrombopoietin and Clinical Parameters as a Marker for Disease Progression in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.
10.3343/kjlm.2009.29.1.82
- Author:
Jae Jin LEE
1
;
So Young KANG
;
Woo In LEE
Author Information
1. Devision of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. lj2lj2@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Original Article ; English Abstract
- Keywords:
Thrombopoietin;
Multiple myeloma;
Hematopoiesis;
Platelet
- MeSH:
Aged;
Biological Markers/blood;
Blood Cell Count;
Clinical Chemistry Tests;
Disease Progression;
Female;
Hematopoiesis;
Humans;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Multiple Myeloma/*diagnosis/etiology;
Platelet Count;
Prognosis;
Retrospective Studies;
Thrombocytopenia/*blood/complications;
Thrombopoietin/*blood
- From:The Korean Journal of Laboratory Medicine
2009;29(1):82-88
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) causes the suppression of hematopoiesis because of malignant cells in the bone marrow. Thrombopoietin (TPO) is regulated by a feedback mechanism with platelets. Recently, it was suggested that an elevated TPO without thrombocytopenia was associated with impaired hematopoiesis. We evaluated whether TPO levels could be a marker for disease progression in MM. METHODS: The TPO levels were measured in 70 blood samples from 27 patients (newly/previously-diagnosed patients=13/14). We analyzed the TPO and clinical parameters, WBC, hemoglobin, creatinine, calcium, M-protein, protein, albumin, and beta2-microglobulin. The TPO in 20 healthy controls ranged from 6 to 69 pg/mL. RESULTS: The TPO levels were significantly higher in MM patients with thrombocytopenia than in patients without thrombocytopenia and the healthy controls (median TPO: 293.0 pg/mL vs 59.6 pg/mL and 35.6 pg/mL, P<0.0001). There was a negative correlation between the TPO levels and the blood cells, i.e., leukocytes (r=-0.293), hemoglobin (r=-0.378) and platelets (r=-0.508) (P<0.05). Elevated TPO were found in association with normal platelet counts (N=20). Among the samples without thrombocytopenia, especially one year after the diagnosis, the hemoglobin (10.3 vs 12.9 g/dL, P=0.025) and albumin (3.3 vs 4.0 g/dL, P=0.085) were lower and the M-protein and protein tended to be higher in patients with elevated TPO compared to those with normal TPO. CONCLUSIONS: Serum TPO was elevated with thrombocytopenia and related to impaired hematopoiesis. The elevated TPO without thrombocytopenia might be considered as impaired hematopoiesis and a marker for disease progression in patients with MM.
