Background Clinical outcomes for multiple myeloma are highly variable. Inherited genetic variants of immune regulatory genes can modulate disease susceptibility and clinical outcomes. The germline variant CTLA4 rs231775 polymorphism may alter T-cell function and affect clinical outcomes.Methods We conducted a retrospective single-center study including 156 consecutive myeloma patients who underwent first-line ASCT. The patients were stratified according to the CTLA4 rs231775 genotype and disease stage (ISS I-III).Results The CTLA4 rs231775 AA genotype was associated with inferior PFS in ISS I-II and superior PFS in ISS III. In the multivariate analysis, the CTLA4 rs231775 AA genotype emerged as a potential risk factor in ISS I-II and a potential protective factor in ISS III.Conclusions This germline CTLA4 polymorphism may serve as biomarker to refine post-transplant risk stratification and enable personalized treatment management.
Horum et al. (Mon,) studied this question.