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Infectious complications in multiple myeloma receiving autologous stem cell transplantation in the past 10 years

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Abstract

Infection is one of the main causes of early-treatment mortality in multiple myeloma (MM) patients during autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT). In the present study, we sought to determine the incidence of, and risk factors for, infection during hospital stays after autoSCT. We retrospectively evaluated 324 autoSCT events that occurred in 285 MM patients between 2006 and 2015, and reviewed the clinical characteristics of patients and history of infections. Sixty-eight infection events occurred, including bacteremia (24), other bacterial infections (7), as well as infections caused by Cytomegalovirus (17), Herpes simplex virus (12), Varicella zoster virus (3), Aspergillus (3) and Pneumocystis jiroveci (2). There was no significant difference in number of infections in the 2006–2010 and 2011–2015 periods (P = 0.194). Risk factors for bacteremia included higher beta-2 microglobulin levels at diagnosis [≥3.5 mg/L; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.544 (95% CI 1.070–11.736), P = 0.038] and previous bortezomib treatment [aOR 4.270 (95% CI 1.389–13.125), P = 0.011]. In-hospital mortality occurred in 1.2% of all cases and all were infection-related. In conclusion, infection was the main cause of in-hospital mortality in patients who underwent autoSCT. Bacteremia was the most common type of microbiologically confirmed infection, and was associated with higher beta-2 microglobulin levels and previous bortezomib treatment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all of the patients who participated in this study.

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Author notes

  1. Wan Beom Park and Inho Kim contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehag-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea

    Hyunkyung Park, Jeonghwan Youk, Hak Ro Kim, Youngil Koh, Ji Hyun Kwon, Sung-Soo Yoon, Seonyang Park & Inho Kim

  2. Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Youngil Koh, Sung-Soo Yoon, Seonyang Park & Inho Kim

  3. Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Youngil Koh, Sung-Soo Yoon, Seonyang Park & Inho Kim

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, ChungBuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Chungchungbuk-do, Republic of Korea

    Ji Hyun Kwon

  5. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehag-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea

    Pyoeng Gyun Choe, Nam Joong Kim, Myoung-don Oh & Wan Beom Park

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  1. Hyunkyung Park
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  11. Wan Beom Park
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Correspondence to Wan Beom Park or Inho Kim.

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Park, H., Youk, J., Kim, H.R. et al. Infectious complications in multiple myeloma receiving autologous stem cell transplantation in the past 10 years. Int J Hematol 106, 801–810 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-017-2313-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-017-2313-2

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