Abstract
We evaluated the serum thymidine kinase (TK) and β-2 microglobulin (β-2) levels of 22 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and of 29 patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Both parameters were significantly lower in MGUS than in MM patients and in early (stage I+II) than in advanced (stage III) MM. TK was also lower in MGUS than in stage I MM (p < 0.025). A seven-fold increase of TK level was documented in one patient who developed a full blown picture of MM 6 years after a diagnosis of MGUS. In 3 patients with stage III MM, a sharp decrease in TK (40–77%) and in β-2 (29–53%) levels at remission was evident with respect to the levels measured at diagnosis. Patients with high levels of TK or [3-2 had a shorter survival than those with low levels; however, this was statistically significant only for β-2 levels (p < 0.02). Serum TK as well as β-2 levels appear to be of clinical value in monoclonal gammopathies and related to the course of the disease.
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