[Clinical and laboratory analysis of the cases of multiple myeloma with over 5-year survival time from the beginning of the antineoplastic treatment].

Out of 436 studied patients with plasmocytic myeloma 67 (15.0%) survived over 5 years from the beginning of antineoplastic treatment, and 18 survived over 10 years from the first symptom of the proliferative process. The patients with long survival were younger at the time of diagnosis than the whole studied group and had normal creatinine and calcium levels in the serum. Nearly half these patients had I or II stage of clinical progression and IgG monoclonal protein. Treatment with melphalan only was given to 17 patients, 33 were treated with melphalan, followed by vincristine, cyclophosphamide, BCNU, prednisone and doxorubicin. Polychemotherapy was given from the time of the diagnosis to 13 patients, and 4 received radiotherapy or 60Co irradiation besides chemotherapy. In 81% of the analysed cases a good response was obtained. Thirteen patients are alive. In 5 cases myeloid leukaemia, in 1 case bronchogenic carcinoma and in 1 case liver carcinoma were the causes of death.