Cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin serology prevalence in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma treated within the GMMG-MM5 phase III trial

ABSTRACT

Objectives

The seroprevalence of antibodies against Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an established poor prognostic factor for patients receiving an allogeneic stem cell transplantation. However, the impact of CMV serology on outcome after autologous stem cell transplantation remains unknown.

Methods

Here, we analyzed the CMV immunoglobulin (Ig) serology of 446 newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients of the GMMG-MM5 phase III trial with a median follow-up of 58 months.

Results

CMV IgG and IgM positivity was seen in 51% and 6% of the patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis CMV IgG and CMV IgM serology show an age-depending effect for PFS. We identified positive CMV IgG/positive CMV IgM serology as an age-depending beneficial factor on PFS.

Discussion

Younger patients with a positive CMV IgG/positive CMV IgM serology experienced a favorable effect on PFS, whereas a positive CMV IgG/positive CMV IgM serology at older age has a disadvantageous effect on PFS.

KEYWORDS:

• CMV
• CMV IgM
• multiple myeloma
• GMMG-MM5 Phase III Trial
• autologous stem cell transplantation
• maintenance therapy
• CMV-Infection
• age-depending effect

Acknowledgements

The GMMG thanks the Koordinierungszentrum für Klinische Studien (KKS) Heidelberg for the support of the trial and data monitoring. The GMMG thanks all participating investigators and centers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Conception and design: HS, AE, NW, HG, EKM, DH, KM and AB. Responsible statisticians: AB and KM. Administrative support: HG, EM, and SPL. Provision of study materials or patients and/or collection, assembly and review of data: all authors. Data analysis and interpretation: HS, AE, NW, HG, EKM, KM and AB. Writing of the first manuscript draft: HS, AE, EKM, MMu, KW, DH, NW, MSR and HG. Manuscript editing, discussion of trial data/results, and final writing: all authors. Final approval of manuscript: all authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Celgene, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Janssen Pharmaceutica, and Binding Site.