Clinical Analysis of 43 Patients with Light Chain Multiple Myeloma

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of patients with light-cham multiple myeloma.

METHODS Fourty-three patients with light chain myeloma over a 13-year period were analyzed retrospectively and 43 cases with IgG type myeloma in the same period were used as control.

RESULTS Of the 43 patients, 28 were male, 15 were female, with an overall mean age of 57 years (range. 36-71). At the time of onset, the main symptoms were fatigue and dizziness (23 cases, 53.5%) and bone pain (25, 58.1%). The main signs were anemia (28, 65.1%) and bone pressure pain (23. 53.5%). Of 39 patients with determined staging, 38 were in stage III and 1 stage I. Renal function examinations were pertormed for 31 patients. Among them, 16 were in stage IIIB and 15 in IIIA. Hypercalcemia (≥3 mmol/L) occurred in 2 cases. Of 18 patients, 3 had proteinuria ≥ 12 g per 24 hours. Osteolytic lesions appeared in 27 of 31 cases. No abnormal globulin peaks were found in the serum protein electrophoretic bands. Serum and urine immunoelectrophoresis showed that 10 cases were kappa light chain, 29 were lambda light chain and 4 were both. Nineteen patients received chemotherapy, of which 8 cases obtained complete remission and 11 had no remission.

CONCLUSION Because of poor differentiation, skeletal destruction and renal dysfunction, light chain multiple myeloma patients have meager therapeutical efficacy and poor prognosis.