Background: This retrospective study aimed to identify prognostic factors for local control and survival in 214 patients irradiated for spinal cord compression (SCC) from myeloma.
Patients and methods: Ten potential prognostic factors were investigated including age, gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score (ECOG-PS), number of involved vertebrae, ambulatory status, other osseous lesions, extraosseous lesions, interval from first diagnosis of myeloma to SCC, time developing motor deficits before radiotherapy (RT), and the RT schedule (short-course vs. long-course RT).
Results: On univariate analysis, no factor was associated with local control of SCC. Survival was associated with ECOG-PS (p < 0.001), ambulatory status (p < 0.001), other osseous lesions (p < 0.001), and extraosseous lesions (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, these prognostic factors maintained significance.
Conclusion: New independent prognostic factors were identified for survival after RT of SCC from myeloma. These factors can help tailor treatment to the individual patient.