Prognostic value of t(4;14) translocation in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients in novel agent era

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of t(4; 14) translocation for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients in the novel agent era. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 606 newly diagnosed MM patients treated with novel agents. The propensity score matching technique was used to reduce the bias between groups. Results Among 606 patients, t(4; 14) was observed in 108 (17.8%) patients, among which 79 (73.1%) were accompanied by 1q21 gain and/or del 17p. Median overall survival (OS) (56.2 vs. 87.3 months) and progression-free survival (PFS) (25.7 vs. 37.6 months) were significantly shorter in patients with t(4;14) compared with patients without cytogenetic abnormalities. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the t(4;14) was not associated with shorter OS (p = 0.666) and PFS (p = 0.164). The multivariable analysis also showed t(4;14) was not a poor prognostic factor for OS and PFS of patients with newly diagnosed MM (p > 0.05). After balancing the distribution of factors between patients with and without t(4;14) by the propensity score matching technique, patients with t(4;14) had similar OS (57.6 vs. 56.5 months, p = 0.964) and PFS (26.5 vs. 28.1 months, p = 0.740) with the patients without t(4;14). Conclusions These results demonstrated that t(4; 14) alone may be not a poor prognostic factor patients with newly diagnosed MM in the novel agent era.