[Monitoring markers of bone turnover in multiple myeloma].

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of bone turnover markers monitoring for prediction of overall survival and event-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma. To determine the value of initial measurement for differential diagnosis and evaluation of myeloma stage and activity.

Methods And Results: We evaluated 79 consecutive, previously untreated patients with myeloma and 24 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.

[Prognostic factors and markers of activity in multiple myeloma (results of the Cooperative Group for Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma)].

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is mostly fatal neoplastic disorder, however, the median survival of 30-40 months does not adequately express the wide spectrum courses of the disease. Therefore better prognostic factors are needed.

Methods And Results: We analyzed the value of both standard clinical features and cytokines for differential diagnosis, assessment of myeloma activity, prediction of overall survival and duration of remission in a group of 124 patients with MM and in 156 with various monoclonal gammapathies, respectively.

[Renal impairment in monoclonal gammapathies. Clinical study].

Background: Renal involvement is an important and frequent complication in patient with monoclonal gammapathy (MG), especially in multiple myeloma (MM). Light chain proteinuria produces many renal manifestations, the most serious form is acute renal failure, which occurs in 5-10% of patients with MM. The frequency and form of renal involvement was determined in a group of patients with MG.

[Familial occurrence of malignant hematologic diseases].

The cases of first-degree relatives from five families with hematological malignancies are described in this study. The occurrence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and B-cell chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (B-CLL) in the first family, NHL and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the second one, two cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) in the third and the fifth one's NHL and acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMML) in the fourth one observed. Several factors which are considered to be involved in etiopathogenesis of hematological malignancies (virus infection, immune defects, HL-A antigens, cytogenic features) were discussed.

[Prognostic factors in non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma].

A group of 271 patients with non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas from years 1975-1989 was tested using multivariant statistical analysis, from the point of view of the prognostic value their basic clinical and laboratory data. In the group of low grade malignancy lymphomas, the following factors showed a prognostic validity: clinical stage, general status, centrocytic histological subtype, and anaemia. In the group of high grade malignant lymphomas following one were set as prognostically important: general status, clinical stage and age.