Certain patients with plasma cell myeloma are prone to worse overall survival, according to a retrospective study involving 130 individuals. Investigators quantified the hematogone population by flow cytometric immunophenotyping in post-transplant bone marrow biopsy specimens from adult patients who received autologous stem cell transplant for either plasma cell myeloma (n=57) or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n=73). Among the results:

• 8 in every 10 patients had <5% marrow hematogones post-transplant.
• Hematogone percentages >10% were seen in only 4 patients, and were not linked with disease progression.
• There was a positive link between the post-transplant day and hematogone percentage within the first year after transplant, and a negative link thereafter.
• Patients with ≥5% hematogones in any post-transplant flow cytometry study, or with increased hematogones 100 days post-transplant had worse overall survival.