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Endoscopic resection (ER) for early gastric cancer (EGC) can preserve the stomach; however, the remaining stomach can develop second gastric cancer. Few reports have prospectively investigated the incidence and treatment outcomes of second gastric cancer.This post-hoc analysis used the dataset of the single-arm confirmatory trial, JCOG0607. The key inclusion criteria for JCOG0607 were solitary differentiated-type EGC and no previous gastrectomy or endoscopic treatment for EGC. Three hundred seventeen patients who underwent curative ER were included in this study. Surveillance endoscopy was performed 1 to 3 months after the initial ER and subsequently annually for at least 5 years. A lesion detected ≤1 year and1 year after the initial ER was defined as overlooked gastric cancer (OGC) and metachronous gastric cancer (MGC), respectively.During a median follow-up period of 6.0 years (interquartile range, 5.1-7.0), 30 OGCs and 61 MGCs were detected in 24 and 48 patients, respectively. The cumulative incidence of OGC at 1 year and MGC at 5 years was 7.6% and 12.7%, respectively. ER and gastrectomy were performed in 85 lesions and 6 lesions, respectively. Pathologic evaluation showed 78 mucosal cancers, 12 submucosal cancers, and 1 advanced cancer. Eventually, 28 OGCs and 52 MGCs fulfilled the pathologic criteria for curative ER.Our study was the first to reveal the actual incidence of second gastric cancer after curative ER for differentiated-type gastric cancer. Most lesions could be treated with ER. Continuous endoscopic surveillance after curative ER is important to detect second gastric cancer.

Previous cross-sectional studies have reported that adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) showed global gray matter volume (GMV) reductions at the acute phase which were restored at the weight-recovered phase, compared with healthy controls (HC). However, few studies have investigated white matter volume (WMV) or cortical thickness in the context of AN, and results have been inconsistent. Voxel-based morphometry analyses for GM and WM, and cortical thickness analyses for GM were conducted in 31 adolescent patients with AN (vs. 18 HC) in the acute phase, and 16 patients with AN (vs. 13 HC) in the follow-up weight-recovered phase, over an approximately 1-year follow-up interval. At the acute phase, the AN patients showed significant reductions of GMVs and cortical thickness in widespread brain regions, compared with HC. Significant WMV reductions were identified in the bilateral superior longitudinal fascicle, superior thalamic radiation, corona radiata, and fornix, pons, and medulla in the patients. At the weight-recovered phase, the AN patients showed a significant GMV reduction in the left hippocampus, and a WMV reduction in the pons, compared with the HC. There was no difference in cortical thickness between two groups at the weight-recovered phase. In conclusion, the widespread volumetric reductions in GM and WM, and reduced cortical thickness observed in AN patients in the acute phase were not evident in the follow-up weight-recovered phase. The volume reductions observed in the hippocampus and pons in the weight-recovered phase could potentially reflect delayed neurogenesis or recovery from starvation in the AN patients.

Background and study aims We developed an e-learning program for endoscopic diagnosis of invasion depth of early gastric cancer (EGC) using a simple diagnostic criterion called non-extension sign, and the contribution of self-study quizzes to improvement of diagnostic accuracy was evaluated. Methods We conducted a prospective randomized controlled study that recruited endoscopists throughout Japan. After completing a pretest, the participants watched video lectures and undertook post-test 1. The participants were then randomly allocated to either the self-study or non-self-study group, and participants in the first group completed the self-study program that comprised 100-case quizzes. Finally, participants in both groups undertook post-test 2. The primary endpoint was the difference in post-test 2 scores between the groups. The perfect score for the tests was set as 100 points. Results A total of 423 endoscopists completed the pretest and were enrolled. Post-test 1 was completed by 415 endoscopists and 208 were allocated to the self-study group and 207 to the non-self-study group. Two hundred and four in the self-study group and 205 in the non-self-study group were included in the analysis. Video lectures improved the mean score of post-test 1 from 72 to 77 points. Participants who completed the self-study quizzes showed significantly better post-test 2 scores compared with the non-self-study group (80 vs. 76 points, respectively, P Conclusions Our e-learning program showed that self-study quizzes consolidated knowledge of the non-extension sign and improved diagnostic ability of endoscopists for invasion depth of EGC.

Although smaller gray matter volumes (GMV) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been reported cross-sectionally, there are, to our knowledge, no reports of longitudinal comparisons using manually drawn, gyrally based ROI, and their associations with symptoms. The object of this study was to determine whether first-episode schizophrenia (FESZ) and first-episode affective psychosis (FEAFF) patients show initial and progressive PFC GMV reduction in bilateral frontal pole, superior frontal gyrus (SFG), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and examine their symptom associations. Twenty-one FESZ, 24 FEAFF and 23 healthy control subjects (HC) underwent 1.5T MRI with follow-up imaging on the same scanner ~ 1.5 years later. Groups were strikingly different in progressive GMV loss. FESZ showed significant progressive GMV loss in the left SFG, bilateral MFG, and bilateral IFG. In addition, left MFG and/or IFG GMV loss was associated with worsening of withdrawal-retardation and total BPRS symptoms scores. In contrast, FEAFF showed no significant difference in GMV compared with HC, either cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Of note, FreeSurfer run on the same images showed no significant changes longitudinally.

Aim Numerous reports have described differences in the distribution of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) sulcogyral patterns between patients with schizophrenia (SZ patients) and healthy controls (HC). Alterations in OFC morphology are also observed in those at high risk for developing SZ and in first-episode SZ, suggesting that genetic associations may be extant in determining OFC sulcogyral patterns. We investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in NRG1 and OFC sulcogyral patterns. Methods A total of 59 Japanese patients diagnosed with SZ and 60 HC were scanned on a 1.5-T magnet. Patients were also assessed clinically. OFC sulcogyral patterns were evaluated for each participant, and genotyping was performed for four SNP in NRG1 ( SNP8NRG243177 , SNP8NRG221533 , SNP8NRG241930 , and rs1081062 ). Results There were significant differences in the distribution of OFC sulcogyral patterns between SZ patients and HC (χ2 = 6.52, P = 0.038). SZ patients showed an increase in the frequency of Type III expression, which was associated with an earlier age of disease onset (β = −0.302, F = 4.948, P = 0.030). Although no difference was found in genotype frequencies between SZ patients and HC, an NRG1 SNP, SNP8NRG243177, was associated with Type II expression in SZ patients (β = 0.237, F = 4.120, P = 0.047). Conclusion Our results suggest that OFC sulcogyral pattern formation in schizophrenia may be associated with NRG1 allele frequency, which is closely related to neurodevelopment.

The international staging system (ISS) is the most commonly used risk-stratification system for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and is determined by serum albumin and β2-microglobulin levels. In the two determinants, β2-microglobulin levels are frequently observed to be elevated in patients with myeloma, particularly in those with renal impairment. In comparison with patients with intact immunoglobulin myeloma, patients with LC myeloma do not necessarily show decreased levels of serum albumin. The clinical impact of ISS in patients with LCMM, in particular the distinction between ISS I and II, may be complicated due to non-decreased levels of serum albumin in both stages. Accordingly, we have attempted to assess clinical relevance of the ISS in patients with LC myeloma. The clinical data of 1899 patients with MM diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2012 were collected from 38 affiliated hospitals of the Japanese Society of Myeloma. Significant difference was not found between stage I (n = 72) and stage II (n = 92) in LC myeloma patients (n = 307). The mean serum albumin concentration of patients with LC myeloma was within the reference range but higher than that of patients with IgG + IgA myeloma (n = 1501), which complicates the distinction between ISS stage I and II myeloma. Patients with LC myeloma had low frequencies of t(4; 14) and high frequency of elevated lactate dehydrogenase, and despite a relevant amount of missing data in our registry (R-ISS stage I; n = 11, stage II; n = 32, and stage III: n = 18), the information included in the R-ISS scoring system seems to be more accurate than ISS to obtain a reliable risk stratification approach in non-ISS stage III LC myeloma patients.

Brain masking of MRI images separates brain from surrounding tissue and its accuracy is important for further imaging analyses. We implemented a new brain masking technique based on multi-atlas brain segmentation (MABS) and compared MABS to masks generated using FreeSurfer (FS; version 5.3), Brain Extraction Tool (BET), and Brainwash, using manually defined masks (MM) as the gold standard. We further determined the effect of different masking techniques on cortical and subcortical volumes generated by FreeSurfer. METHODS Images were acquired on a 3-Tesla MR Echospeed system General Electric scanner on five control and five schizophrenia subjects matched on age, sex, and IQ. Automated masks were generated from MABS, FS, BET, and Brainwash, and compared to MM using these metrics: a) volume difference from MM; b) Dice coefficients; and c) intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS Mean volume difference between MM and MABS masks was significantly less than the difference between MM and FS or BET masks. Dice coefficient between MM and MABS was significantly higher than Dice coefficients between MM and FS, BET, or Brainwash. For subcortical and left cortical regions, MABS volumes were closer to MM volumes than were BET or FS volumes. For right cortical regions, MABS volumes were closer to MM volumes than were BET volumes. CONCLUSIONS Brain masks generated using FreeSurfer, BET, and Brainwash are rapidly obtained, but are less accurate than manually defined masks. Masks generated using MABS, in contrast, resemble more closely the gold standard of manual masking, thereby offering a rapid and viable alternative.

We investigated the treatment and outcome of Japanese patients with primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) in the era of novel agents and analyzed the risk factors affecting survival. Among 3,318 patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM), 38 patients were diagnosed with pPCL. The median overall survival (OS) of the pPCL patients was 2.85 years, which was significantly extended compared with that in previous reports. The proportion of patients treated with novel agents was 61%. The OS of the patients treated with novel agents was significantly extended compared with that of patients treated without novel agents according to the generalized Wilcoxon test (2.85 vs. 1.16 years, p = 0.049). This statistical finding suggests that treatment with novel agents could have prevented early death in the patients with pPCL. Age was the only statistically significant prognostic factor associated with an inferior OS (hazard ratio 4.57). Five patients received maintenance therapy with novel agents, and their OS tended to be longer than that of the other patients without maintenance (4.45 vs. 2.85 years). Unlike MM, OS for pPCL has not been improved significantly over the last decade, especially in elderly patients. Therefore, it is important to establish the treatment strategy, particularly after induction treatment.

We examined whether abnormal volumes of several brain regions as well as their mutual associations that have been observed in patients with schizophrenia, are also present in individuals at clinical high-risk (CHR) for developing psychosis. 3T magnetic resonance imaging was acquired in 19 CHR and 20 age- and handedness-matched controls. Volumes were measured for the body and temporal horns of the lateral ventricles, hippocampus and amygdala as well as total brain, cortical gray matter, white matter, and subcortical gray matter volumes. Relationships between volumes as well as correlations between volumes and cognitive and clinical measures were explored. Ratios of lateral ventricular volume to total brain volume and temporal horn volume to total brain volume were calculated. Volumetric abnormalities were lateralized to the left hemisphere. Volumes of the left temporal horn, and marginally, of the body of the left lateral ventricle were larger, while left amygdala but not hippocampal volume was significantly smaller in CHR participants compared to controls. Total brain volume was also significantly smaller and the ratio of the temporal horn/total brain volume was significantly higher in CHR than in controls. White matter volume correlated positively with higher verbal fluency score while temporal horn volume correlated positively with a greater number of perseverative errors. Together with the finding of larger temporal horns and smaller amygdala volumes in the left hemisphere, these results indicate that the ratio of lateral ventricle the ratio of temporal horns volume to brain volume is abnormal in CHR compared to controls. These abnormalities present in CHR individuals may constitute the biological basis for at least some of the CHR syndrome.

Background Decision-making models for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) are in great demand. Patients and Methods The Society of Lymphoma Treatment in Japan (SoLT-J), in collaboration with the West-Japan Hematology and Oncology Group (West-JHOG), collected and retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of ≥65-year-old patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP from 19 sites across Japan to build an algorithm that can stratify adherence to R-CHOP. Results A total of 836 patients with a median age of 74 years (range, 65–96 years) were analyzed. In the SoLT-J cohort (n = 555), age >75 years, serum albumin level Conclusion The ACA index has the ability to stratify the prognosis, tolerability to cytotoxic drugs, and adherence to treatment of elderly patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP.

Numerous reports have described differences in the distribution of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) sulcogyral patterns between patients with schizophrenia (SZ patients) and healthy controls (HC). Alterations in OFC morphology are also observed in those at high risk for developing SZ and in first-episode SZ, suggesting that genetic associations may be extant in determining OFC sulcogyral patterns. We investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in NRG1 and OFC sulcogyral patterns.A total of 59 Japanese patients diagnosed with SZ and 60 HC were scanned on a 1.5-T magnet. Patients were also assessed clinically. OFC sulcogyral patterns were evaluated for each participant, and genotyping was performed for four SNP in NRG1 (SNP8NRG243177, SNP8NRG221533, SNP8NRG241930, and rs1081062).There were significant differences in the distribution of OFC sulcogyral patterns between SZ patients and HC (χ(2) = 6.52, P = 0.038). SZ patients showed an increase in the frequency of Type III expression, which was associated with an earlier age of disease onset (β = -0.302, F = 4.948, P = 0.030). Although no difference was found in genotype frequencies between SZ patients and HC, an NRG1 SNP, SNP8NRG243177, was associated with Type II expression in SZ patients (β = 0.237, F = 4.120, P = 0.047).Our results suggest that OFC sulcogyral pattern formation in schizophrenia may be associated with NRG1 allele frequency, which is closely related to neurodevelopment.

Brain masking of MRI images separates brain from surrounding tissue and its accuracy is important for further imaging analyses. We implemented a new brain masking technique based on multi-atlas brain segmentation (MABS) and compared MABS to masks generated using FreeSurfer (FS; version 5.3), Brain Extraction Tool (BET), and Brainwash, using manually defined masks (MM) as the gold standard. We further determined the effect of different masking techniques on cortical and subcortical volumes generated by FreeSurfer.Images were acquired on a 3-Tesla MR Echospeed system General Electric scanner on five control and five schizophrenia subjects matched on age, sex, and IQ. Automated masks were generated from MABS, FS, BET, and Brainwash, and compared to MM using these metrics: a) volume difference from MM; b) Dice coefficients; and c) intraclass correlation coefficients.Mean volume difference between MM and MABS masks was significantly less than the difference between MM and FS or BET masks. Dice coefficient between MM and MABS was significantly higher than Dice coefficients between MM and FS, BET, or Brainwash. For subcortical and left cortical regions, MABS volumes were closer to MM volumes than were BET or FS volumes. For right cortical regions, MABS volumes were closer to MM volumes than were BET volumes.Brain masks generated using FreeSurfer, BET, and Brainwash are rapidly obtained, but are less accurate than manually defined masks. Masks generated using MABS, in contrast, resemble more closely the gold standard of manual masking, thereby offering a rapid and viable alternative.

There have been major advances in the past decade in induction therapy for transplantation-eligible multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Induction therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard treatment for younger patients with MM. A high complete response rate has been achieved by three-drug induction regimens including novel agents both before and after ASCT without substantially increasing toxicity. A favorable response to therapy is a very important prognostic factor. This chapter reviews recent results on the most commonly used and tested doublet, triplet, quadruplet combinations for the treatment of newly diagnosed transplantation-eligible myeloma and provides guidance on choosing the optimal initial treatment regimen.

Survival outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) vary considerably depending on the presence or absence of disease-related risk factors [i.e., advanced ISS (International Staging System) stage, CAs (cytogenetic abnormalities), etc.], patient-related risk factors, and/or treatment-related risk factors. ISS, developed in 2006 by the IMWG (International Myeloma Working Group), has been considered an important disease-related baseline prognostication model and has been used in routine clinical practice worldwide. However, it is solely determined by the serum biochemistry data without taking account of CAs which are currently identified as the most powerful prognostic indicator for MM. Recently, a Revised ISS (R-ISS) scoring system which is accounting the presence or absence of serum LDH abnormality as well as CAs such as t(4;14), t(14;16), or del(17p) in addition to the ISS stage has been proposed (Oliva S, et al. EHA 2014, #S1289). In the present study, we applied the R-ISS to the Japanese MM patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2012 and compared the clinical relevance of the R-ISS with that of the original ISS in the era of novel agents and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Clinical data of 3,270 patients were collected from 38 centers; however, ISS and R-ISS were only applicable to 2,998 and 788 patients, respectively. Patient characteristics including age, gender, type of M protein, Durie and Salmon stage, ISS stage, and chromosomal abnormalities were not significantly different between the patients to which ISS and R-ISS were applied. In the 788 patients evaluable for the R-ISS analysis, distribution of the patients according to the ISS stages I, II, and III were 31.4%, 35.8%, and 32.8%, respectively, whereas that of the R-ISS stages were 22.2%, 67.6%, and 10.2%, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) for the ISS stages I, II, and III were 100.7, 65.2, and 50.9 months, respectively, and that of R-ISS stages I, II, and III were 152.8, 62.4, and 40.5 months, respectively. Accordingly, the difference of survival time between the stages seemed more distinct in R-ISS compared with the performance of the original ISS. According to the analysis by the ISS, there were no significant difference in the median OS between the patients whether initially treated with novel agents or with conventional chemotherapy (stage I, 91.2 vs 84.6 months, p=0.054; stage II, 64.1 vs 62.5 months, p=0.18; and stage III, 41.2 vs 37.2 months, p=0.24). In contrast, the analysis by the R-ISS disclosed a beneficial effect of novel therapy than with conventional chemotherapy, particularly in patients with stage I disease (stage I, not reached vs 87.6 months, p=0.018; stage II, 78.8 vs 61.7 months, p=0.075; and stage III, 37.5 vs 45.3 months, p=0.87). As for ASCT, both ISS and R-ISS stages showed a significant difference in the median OS between the patients treated with ASCT and those without ASCT (ISS stages: stage I, 101.3 vs 78.8 months, p=0.40; stage II, 83.8 vs 52.4 months, p=0.0002; stage III, 67.5 vs 31.7 months, p=0.0004; and R-ISS stages: stage I, not reached vs 90.7 months, p=0.21; stage II, 74.2 vs 56.5 months, p Disclosures Sunami: Takeda pharmaceutical Compani Limited: Research Funding; ONO PHAMACEUTICAL CO.,LTD: Research Funding.

Background Elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are more likely to face severe adverse events and/or insufficient dose intensity when treated with R-CHOP. The International Prognostic Index (IPI) predicts treatment outcome of patients with DLBCL, but risk stratification for such patients remains uncertain. Thus, we developed a new decision making model, which serves as a guide to the optimal personalized therapy for elderly DLBCL. Patients and methods This is a multicenter, retrospective study conducted by Society of Lymphoma Treatment in Japan (SoLT-J). Clinical features and treatment records of patients aged ≥ 65-years old, who had been diagnosed with de novo DLBCL and given at least one cycle of R-CHOP between 2001and 2012, were collected and analyzed for their prognostic significance after receiving approval from each institutional review board. Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (Charlson et al, 1987) was used to access the co-existing medical status. Relative dose intensity (RDI) (i.e. the percentage of actual dose administered per protocol specified dose) for the average of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin, adjusted by the effect of radiation therapy, was calculated for all patients. Results A total of 633 patients with a median 75-years old (range 65-96) treated with a median 6 cycles of R-CHOP (range 1-8) was analyzed. Ninety-six (15%) patients received planned or additional radiation therapy. R-CHOP therapy was discontinued in 129 (20%) patients because of treatment related toxicities, of which 30 (5%) patients died. The advanced age, hypoalbuminemia, and high score of CCI were identified as independent prognostic factors by the backward stepwise analysis for survival. The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age > 75-years, serum albumin concentration < 3.7 g/dl, and CCI score ≥ 3 were significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and treatment related mortality (TRM), independently of IPI score ≥ 3 (Table 1). Regarding the index consisting of these three new risk factors, 135, 270, 184 and 44 patients were scored 0, 1, 2, and 3 point(s), respectively. The elevation of this score was significantly associated with lower average RDI (72% vs 63% vs 48% vs 41%, P < .0001) and more frequent unanticipated discontinuance of the treatment (10% vs 16% vs 31% vs 34%, P < .0001). Accompanied by IPI score ≥ 3, this index discriminated five risk groups with 3-year OS of 88%, 79%, 59%, 38%, and 6% (P < .0001), respectively (Figure 1). Conclusion The combination of age, serum albumin concentration, and comorbidities predicts adherence to R-CHOP-and outcome, as well as the IPI-in elderly patients with DLBCL. This prognostic model may help physicians to decide the intensity of the treatment, and needs to be validated further. Table 1. Multivariate analysis for overall survival, progression free survival, and treatment related mortality. OS PFS TRM Prognostic Factor HR P HR P HR P Age > 75-years 2.16 Disclosures Miura: CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO. LTD: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin CO., Ltd, Japan: Honoraria; Meiji Seika Pharma: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Honoraria; Celgene K.K.: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Honoraria; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Miyake:CHUGAI PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria. Masaki:Celgene K.K: Honoraria; TAIHO Phamaceutical Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation: Research Funding; ONO PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Research Funding; SHIONOGI & CO., LTD: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon pharma Co., Ltd: Research Funding; TEIJIN PHARMA LIMITED: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Company, Limited: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda pharmaceutical Compani Limited: Honoraria, Research Funding; CHUGAI PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas pharma Inc: Research Funding; Eisai Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding. Sakai:Kyowa Hakko Kirin Company, Limited: Research Funding; Bayer Yakuhin,Ltd: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Company: Honoraria; FUJIFILM RI Pharma Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Eisai Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; SHIONOGI & CO., LTD: Honoraria; Sumitomo Dainippon pharma Co., Ltd: Honoraria; YakuLt Honsya Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda pharmaceutical Compani Limited: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene K.K: Honoraria; TAIHO Phamaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; CHUGAI PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria, Research Funding. Sunami:Takeda pharmaceutical Compani Limited: Research Funding; ONO PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Research Funding. Aoyama:Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Company, Limited: Honoraria; CHUGAI PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria. Hatta:CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO. LTD: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin CO., Ltd, Japan: Honoraria; Celgene K.K.: Honoraria. Kanno:Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd: Research Funding; TAIHO Phamaceutical Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Merck Serono Japan: Honoraria; FUJIFILM RI Pharma Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Company, Limited: Honoraria; CHUGAI PHAMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria.

Introduction A significant progress in the management of multiple myeloma (MM) has been made in recent years by the introduction of novel treatment modalities including high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and novel drugs such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). Nevertheless, MM is still an incurable disease with various complications, and it is not clear whether these approaches contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes in routine practice. Previously, the Japanese Society of Myeloma surveyed the clinical features of 1383 patients with MM diagnosed and treated between January 1990 and December 2000. In the present study, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study to evaluate the treatment outcome and prognostic factors in the era of novel agents in Japan involving 2593 new patients diagnosed and treated after December 2000. Patients and Methods We analyzed 2593 patients with symptomatic MM newly diagnosed in the period between January 2001 and December 2012 at the affiliated hospitals of the Japanese Society of Myeloma. This study was conducted in accordance with the institutional guidelines with approval of the local institutional review board. There were 1342 males and 1251 females. The median age was 66 (range 26-96) years; 21% were older than 75 years. The type of monoclonal immunoglobulin was IgG in 1547 patients, IgA in 488, light chain only in 399, IgD in 72, and others in 87, respectively. Performance status (PS) of 0, 1, ≥2, and unknown were 340, 657, 756, and 840 patients, respectively. Durie & Salmon stage was as follows: 8.4% had Stage I, 25.5% Stage II, and 66.1% Stage III, respectively. As for the International Staging System (ISS) stages, 28.0% had stage I, 38.0% stage II, and 34.0% stage III, respectively. Cytogenetic abnormalities were detected in 24.9% of the patients. Initial therapy was composed of conventional chemotherapy in 45.6%, novel agents such as bortezomib-based or IMiDs-based regimens in 20.6%, conventional chemotherapy + ASCT in 20.4%, and novel agents (mainly bortezomib) + ASCT in 12.8% of the patients, respectively. Results The median overall survival (OS) was 63.8 and 62.5 months in the 2001-2005 cohort and in the 2006-2012 cohort, respectively, which was significantly improved compared with our previous results of 38.9 months in the 1990-2000 cohort. The median OS tended to be shorter according to the patient age (97.3, 79.7, 56.9, and 44.6 months in the patients aged Conclusion In comparison with our previous survey, the current study confirmed the recent improvement of the treatment outcome and the impact of both novel agents and ASCT as initial therapy on the outcome. The use of novel agents as salvage therapy could have also provided additional survival benefit. However, the prognosis of elderly patients remains unaltered, and alternative approaches are needed to improve the outcome of elderly patients with MM. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.