Bone marrow fibrosis in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and its correlation with clinicopathological factors

Abstract

Background: Our study aimed to determine the incidence, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed myeloma (NDMM) with bone marrow fibrosis (BMF). Methods: The clinical data, histological features, and clinical outcomes of patients with NDMM were collected. Reticular fiber staining was performed on the enrolled cases, the degree of reticular fiber hyperplasia was graded, and the incidence of BMF was calculated. The differences in clinical data, histological features, and clinical outcomes between the BMF+ group and the BMF– group were compared. Results: The study involved a consecutive series of 146 patients with NDMM. The incidence of MF-0, MF-1, MF-2, and MF-3 was 7.53% (11/146), 34.93% (51/146), 51.37% (75/146), and 6.16% (9/146), respectively. Patients with MF-2 and MF-3 were classified as the BMF+ group, and those with MF-0 and MF-1 were classified as the BMF- group. The incidence of BMF, namely MF-2 and MF-3, was observed to be 57.53% (84/146). A significant correlation was identified between the pattern of infiltration and BMF (P<0.001); furthermore, BMF was associated with a diffuse infiltration pattern. The overall survival (OS) of the BMF+ group (39.177 months; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 34.031–44.323) was lower than that of the BMF- group (45.430 months; 95% CI: 39.524–51.337), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.221). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the BMF+ status was not associated with OS in patients with NDMM (P = 0.381,0.748). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BMF is linked to a diffuse infiltration pattern, and its occurrence is not related to the prognosis of patients with NDMM. Thus, this study provides a basis for further exploring the value of BMF in the diagnosis and treatment of NDMM.