Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous group of disorders both genotypically and phenotypically.
Response to thalidomide-based induction therapy in newly diagnosed patients varies
significantly in published clinical trials. Proteomic analysis was performed on 39 newly diagnosed
MM patients treated with a thalidomide-based regimen (22 responders; 17 non-responders) using
immunodepletion, 2-D DIGE analysis and mass spectrometry. Zinc-a-2-glycoprotein (ZAG), vitamin
D-binding protein (VDB), serum amyloid-A protein (SAA) and b-2-microglobulin (B2M) had
statistically significant higher concentrations in non-responders compared to responders, while
haptoglobin (Hp) had a lower concentration. ELISAs were used to validate the candidate protein
biomarkers using unfractionated serum from 51 newly diagnosed MM patients (29 responders; 22
non-responders). Using logistic regression, the best possible area under the curve (AUC) was 0.96
using ZAG, VDB and SAA in combination. Leave-one-out-cross-validation (LOOCV) indicated an
overall predictive accuracy of 84% with associated sensitivity and specificity values of 81.8 and
86.2%, respectively. Subsequently, 16 of 22 thalidomide-refractory patients successfully achieved
complete response or very good partial response using second-line treatment suggesting that the
biomarker profile is specific to thalidomide response rather than identifying patients with MM
refractory to all therapies. Using a novel panel of predictive biomarkers, the feasibility of predicting
response to thalidomide-based therapy in previously untreated MM has been demonstrated.
Ireland ->
Maynooth University ->
Academic Unit = Faculty of Science and Engineering: Biology
Ireland ->
Maynooth University ->
Type = Article
Ireland ->
Maynooth University ->
Academic Unit = Faculty of Science and Engineering
Ireland ->
Maynooth University ->
Status = Published
Ireland ->
Maynooth University ->
Open Access DRIVERset
Peter O'Gorman,
Martin Clynes,
Kenneth C. Anderson,
Paul Richardson,
Constantine Mitsiades,
Malcolm Kell,
Robert O'Connor,
William G. Murphy,
Colin Clarke,
Justine Meiller
and 2 others