The amplification of 1q21 is an adverse prognostic factor in patients with multiple myeloma in a Chinese population.

The prognostic heterogeneity of multiple myeloma (MM) is largely due to different genetic abnormalities. Cytogenetic analysis has revealed that most of MM harbor chromosome aberrations. Amplification of 1q21 is one of the most common chromosomal aberrations. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization was applied to detect the 1q21 amplification in 86 Chinese patients with newly diagnosed MM. Amp(1q21) was found in totally 40 of 86 (46.5%) cases, among which 29 with three copies of 1q21 and eleven with at least four copies of 1q21. Further analysis revealed a significant difference of overall survival and progression-free survival among the three arms (P<0.05). Bortezomib could not significantly improve the overall survival for patients with 1q21 amplification (P>0.05). These findings suggest that 1q21 amplification with four copies or more is prognostic factor for adverse outcomes of MM patients. Furthermore, chromosome 1q21 gains predicted a poor overall survival even in those receiving bortezomib-based regimens.