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Validation of a prognostic score for patients with POEMS syndrome: a mayo clinic cohort

Leukemia volume 31, page 1251 (2017)Cite this article

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We read with interest the manuscript by Wang et al.1 describing and validating a prognostic score for overall survival (OS) for patients with POEMS syndrome. The authors used four easily determined parameters to stratify patients with POEMS syndrome in three different risk categories. However, their study consisted exclusively of Asian patients. We sought to validate their scoring algorithm in a Caucasian-based patient population that would be more relevant to patients treated in the United States (US) and Europe.

We included patients diagnosed from 15 September 1996 to 2 June 2014 with the complete data for each one of the parameters included in the scoring system. POEMS syndrome was diagnosed using previously established criteria.2 Definitions and scoring were identical to these used in the study by Wang et al.1 Systolic pulmonary arterial pressure was estimated based on duplex cardiac ultrasound, and pulmonary hypertension (PAH) was defined as systolic pulmonary arterial pressure⩾50 mm Hg. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the CKD–EPI equation.3 All pleural effusions were defined radiographically. Patients were assigned one point for each of the following: age>50 years, presence of PAH, presence of pleural effusions and two points for eGFR< 30 ml/min/1.73 m2. Patients were then stratified into 3 risk categories according to total number of points: low (0 points), intermediate (1 point) and high (⩾2 points).

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References

  1. Wang C, Huang XF, Cai QQ, Cao XX, Duan MH, Cai H et al. Prognostic study for overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome. Leukemia 2017; 31: 100–106.

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  2. Dispenzieri A . POEMS syndrome: update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management. Am J Hematol 2015; 90: 951–962.

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  3. Levey AS, Stevens LA, Schmid CH, Zhang YL, Castro AF 3rd, Feldman HI et al. A new equation to estimate glomerular filtration rate. Ann Intern Med 2009; 150: 604–612.

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  1. Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    T V Kourelis & A Dispenzieri

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  1. T V Kourelis
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  2. A Dispenzieri
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Correspondence to A Dispenzieri.

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Kourelis, T., Dispenzieri, A. Validation of a prognostic score for patients with POEMS syndrome: a mayo clinic cohort. Leukemia 31, 1251 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2017.68

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