Prognosis of Myelomatosis on Treatment with Prednisone and Cytostatics

A series of 71 consecutive patients with myelomatosis formed the basis of determining survival in relation to sex, type of M‐component, and its initial magnitude. For the entire material the median survival was 29 months. It was essentially shorter for IgA (15 months) than for IgG myelomatosis (37 months), whereas the survival was the same for both types among patients who were still alive 5–6 years after diagnosis. The magnitude of the M‐component at diagnosis appears to play no prognostic role. 49 patients were treated with cytostatics, and 21 also with prednisone, for a minimum of 2 months. 21 patients responded within 2 months by a decrease in the serum concentration of the M‐component exceeding 0.6 g/100 ml. On the other hand, 28 patients showed no significant change in the magnitude of the M‐component during the first 2 months' medication. However, the latter patients had a median survival of 62 months as compared to only 13 months for the quickly responding patients. Thus, the quick responders had a significantly poorer prognosis.