PHF19 before and post induction treatment possess favorable potency of reflecting treatment response to protease inhibitors, event-free survival, and overall survival in multiple myeloma patients

ABSTRACT

Objective

Plant homeodomain finger protein 19 (PHF19) regulates hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and promotes multiple myeloma (MM) progression. This study intended to explore the potency of PHF19 at baseline and post induction treatment in estimating treatment response to protease inhibitors and survival in MM patients.

Methods

This retrospective study screened 69 MM patients who received protease inhibitors with bone marrow (BM) samples available at both baseline and post induction treatment. Twenty healthy BM donors were included as healthy controls (HCs). PHF19 in plasma cells from BM was quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results

PHF19 at baseline and post induction treatment in MM patients were increased than in HCs. In MM patients, PHF19 was declined post induction treatment. Elevated PHF19 at baseline and post induction treatment were correlated with renal impairment, beta-2-microglobulin ≥5.5 mg/L, t (4; 14), higher international staging system (ISS) stage, and higher revised ISS (R-ISS) stage. Concerning treatment response, PHF19 at baseline and post induction treatment were negatively associated with complete response and overall response rate. Notably, abnormal PHF19 (above 95% quantile value of PHF19 in HCs) at baseline and post induction treatment were linked with shortened event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). After adjustment, abnormal PHF19 post induction treatment was independently related to shortened EFS (hazard ratio = 2.474) and OS (hazard ratio = 3.124).

Conclusion

PHF19 is aberrantly high and declines post induction therapy, which simultaneously reflects unfavorable treatment response to protease inhibitors as well as shorter EFS and OS in MM patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Multiple myeloma
• plant homeodomain finger protein 19
• protease inhibitors
• treatment response
• survival

Disclosure statement

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

Authors’ contributions

Hongyu An: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal Analysis, Project administration, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Shiming Chen: Data curation, Investigation, Resources, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Xin Zhang: Data curation, Formal Analysis, Resources, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Shandong Ke: Data curation, Investigation, Resources, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Jinyong Ke: Data curation, Investigation, Resources, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Yalan Lu: Conceptualization, Formal Analysis, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Ethical approval

This study obtained approval from the Ethics Committee.

Informed consent statement

All subjects or their families provided informed consent.