The prognostic impact of multiparameter flow cytometry immunophenotyping and cytogenetic aberrancies in patients with multiple myeloma

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of immunophenotyping in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), as well as other markers of disease, such as serum hyaluronan and cytogenetic aberrancies.Methods: We have prospectively analyzed the prognostic impact of antigenic markers, assessed by multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC), in a series of newly diagnosed MM patients (n = 79).Results and discussion: Our results show that the expression of CD44, CD45, and CD28 and the absence of CD117 were associated with a significantly shorter progression free-survival (PFS). Clinical characteristics were collected; Cytogenetic aberrancies were assessed in 40 patients. Multivariate survival analyses identified that the CD117−, CD28+, CD45+, and the percentage of bone marrow plasma cells by MFC are survival predictor, along with the International Staging System stage. Interestingly, the CD117− patients were associated with chromosomal aberrancies, including del (17p), +1q21, and IgH transloca...