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Blood, 15 September 2004, Vol. 104, No. 6, pp. 1888-1893. Prepublished online as a Blood First Edition Paper on May 20, 2004; DOI 10.1182/blood-2004-01-0089. This Article Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Tables All Versions of this Article: 2004-01-0089v1 104/6/1888    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Rights and Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Seldin, D. C Articles by Skinner, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Seldin, D. C Articles by Skinner, M. Related Collections Related Article in Blood Online Social Bookmarking                   What's this?  Previous Article  |  Next Article  Submitted January 9, 2004 Accepted April 30, 2004 Improvement in Quality Of Life of Patients With AL Amyloidosis Treated With High Dose Melphalan and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation David C Seldin*, Jennifer J Anderson, Vaishali Sanchorawala, Karim Malek, Daniel G Wright, Karen Quillen, Kathleen T Finn, John L Berk, Laura M Dember, Rodney H Falk, and Martha Skinner Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA * Corresponding author; email: dseldin{at}bumc.bu.edu. Treatment of AL amyloidosis patients with high dose melphalan chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (HDM/SCT) can produce hematologic complete remissions (CR) and improvement in organ function. To determine whether these responses are accompanied by improvement in quality of life (QOL), we employed the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form General Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire for 544 patients evaluated between 1994 and 2002. At baseline, the scores were significantly lower on all eight SF-36 scales compared to age-matched population norms: the composite physical component summary (PCS) for the AL patients was 34.5 versus the population norm of 46.8 and the mental component summary (MCS) was 45.0 versus the norm of 51.5. All SF-36 scores improved at one year, with the MCS reaching the population norm. The PCS, though improved, was still lower than normal, but was greater in the subgroup of patients who achieved a hematologic CR; the PCS normalized at two years in these patients. Thus, treatment of AL amyloidois patients with HDM/SCT produces measurable and sustained improvements in quality of life, particularly in those patients who achieve hematologic CR. CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this? Related Article in Blood Online: Sharpening therapeutic strategy in AL amyloidosis Giampaolo Merlini Blood 2004 104: 1593-1594. [Full Text] [PDF] This article has been cited by other articles: T. N. Weingarten, B. A. Hall, B. F. Richardson, R. E. Hofer, and J. Sprung Periorbital Ecchymoses During General Anesthesia in a Patient with Primary Amyloidosis: A Harbinger for Bleeding? Anesth. Analg., December 1, 2007; 105(6): 1561 - 1563. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] A. V. Kristen, J. B. Perz, S. O. Schonland, U. Hegenbart, P. A. Schnabel, J. H. Kristen, H. Goldschmidt, H. A. Katus, and T. J. Dengler Non-invasive predictors of survival in cardiac amyloidosis Eur J Heart Fail, June 1, 2007; 9(6-7): 617 - 624. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] D. C. Seldin, J. J. Anderson, M. Skinner, K. Malek, D. G. Wright, K. Quillen, K. Finn, B. Oran, and V. Sanchorawala Successful treatment of AL amyloidosis with high-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation in patients over age 65 Blood, December 1, 2006; 108(12): 3945 - 3947. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] V. Sanchorawala Light-Chain (AL) Amyloidosis: Diagnosis and Treatment Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., November 1, 2006; 1(6): 1331 - 1341. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] D. H. Vesole, W. S. Perez, M. Akasheh, C. Boudreau, D. E. Reece, C. N. Bredeson, and Plasma Cell Disorders Working Committee of the Cen High-Dose Therapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients With Primary Systemic Amyloidosis: A Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Study Mayo Clin. Proc., July 1, 2006; 81(7): 880 - 888. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] S. V. Rajkumar, A. Dispenzieri, and R. A. Kyle Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance, Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, AL Amyloidosis, and Related Plasma Cell Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment Mayo Clin. Proc., May 1, 2006; 81(5): 693 - 703. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] R. L. Comenzo Light chains ahoy: pirating Thal/Dex for AL too Blood, April 1, 2005; 105(7): 2625 - 2625. [Full Text] [PDF] D. C. Seldin Interfering with amyloidosis Blood, December 1, 2004; 104(12): 3419 - 3420. [Full Text] [PDF]

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