Background: The impact of coagulopathy on survival of patients with myeloma has not been studied in detail. We aimed to assess the correlation between activated partial thromboplastin time/prothrombin time at diagnosis and overall survival in myeloma patients.
Methods: Data including activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time obtained before treatment and at the time of diagnosis of multiple myeloma (excluding monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, POEMS syndrome, IgM myeloma and myeloma with amyloidosis) collected from 222 patients were analyzed.
Results: Twenty-one patients (9.5%) had prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (nine with prolonged a activated partial thromboplastin time alone, 12 with both prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time) and 10 (4.5%) had prolonged prothrombin time alone. Coagulopathy occurred only in patients with IgA and IgG myeloma but not light-chain disease. Prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time was an independent prognostic factor in IgA and IgG myeloma (median survival = 12.7 months, P = 0.004), while prolonged prothrombin time alone had no impact on survival. Subgroup analysis revealed that prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time indicated less favorable survival in IgA myeloma (P = 0.001), but not the IgG myeloma (P = 0.341). This observation still holds true in IgA myeloma with Durie-Salmon stage II or III (P = 0.002).
Conclusions: The presence of prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time at diagnosis is a prognostic factor indicating poor outcome in the IgA myeloma.