Clinical features and treatment outcome of elderly multiple myeloma patients with impaired renal function

Background Renal impairment (RI) is a most common complication of multiple myeloma (MM), which is associated with an increased risk of early death and worse survival. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical features and outcomes of 77 MM patients over 70 years old and compared the differences between with and without RI groups. Results The percentage of elder MM patients with RI was 61%. Hemoglobin level was a protective factor (OR = 0.954, P = 0.033), while creatinine and hypertension were hazards (OR = 1.288, P < 0.001 and OR = 30.12, P = 0.008). And the percentages of patients with mild-to-moderate RI and moderate-to-severe RI were 40.4% and 59.6%. Complete remission (CR) rate was higher in patients treated with bortezomib (33.3%) than those with non-bortezomib treatment (3.33%) (P = 0.007). Meanwhile, CRrenal was higher in patients with bortezomib (58.3%) than non-bortezomib treatment (22.2%) (P = 0.025). The median OS of the patients with RI treated with bortezomib was longer than those with non-bortezomib regimens (15.0 vs 6.0 months, P = 0.001). The same result was observed in the patients with moderate-to-severe RI (13.0 vs 6.0 months, P = 0.007). The median OS of the patients with RI receiving the bortezomib regimens (15 months) was longer than those with non-bortezomib regimens (6.0 months) (P = 0.001). Conclusion Hemoglobin is a protective factor in elder patients with RI, while creatinine and hypertension were hazards. The median OS of elderly patients with RI was worse, and bortezomib can improve the CR rate in these patients.