@article {7633,
	title = {New criteria for response to treatment in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis based on free light chain measurement and cardiac biomarkers: Impact on survival outcomes},
	journal = {Journal of Clinical Oncology},
	volume = {30},
	year = {2012},
	note = {Cited By :165Export Date: 21 February 2017},
	month = {2012},
	pages = {4541 - 4549},
	abstract = {Purpose: To identify the criteria for hematologic and cardiac response to treatment in immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis based on survival analysis of a large patient population. Patients and Methods: We gathered for analysis 816 patients with AL amyloidosis from seven referral centers in the European Union and the United States. A different cohort of 374 patients prospectively evaluated at the Pavia Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center was used for validation. Data was available for all patients before and 3 and/or 6 months after initiation of first-line therapy. The prognostic relevance of different criteria for hematologic and cardiac response was assessed. Results: There was a strong correlation between the extent of reduction of amyloidogenic free light chains (FLCs) and improvement in survival. This allowed the identification of four levels of response: amyloid complete response (normal FLC ratio and negative serum and urine immunofixation), very good partial response (difference between involved and uninvolved FLCs [dFLC] < 40 mg/L), partial response (dFLC decrease > 50\%), and no response. Cardiac involvement is the major determinant of survival, and changes in cardiac function after therapy can be reliably assessed using the cardiac biomarker N-terminal natriuretic peptide type B (NT-proBNP). Changes in FLC and NT-proBNP predicted survival as early as 3 months after treatment initiation. Conclusion: This study identifies and validates new criteria for response to first-line treatment in AL amyloidosis, based on their association with survival in large patient populations, and offers surrogate end points for clinical trials. {\textcopyright} 2012 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.},
	url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84871772553\&doi=10.1200\%2fJCO.2011.37.7614\&partnerID=40\&md5=b4a7d4b2e78f9e774e2e34fce1602f60},
	author = {Palladini, G. and Dispenzieri, A. and Gertz, M.A. and Kumar, S. and Wechalekar, A. and Hawkins, P.N. and Sch{\"o}nland, S. and Hegenbart, U. and Comenzo, R. and Kastritis, E. and Dimopoulos, M.A. and Jaccard, A. and Klersy, C. and Merlini, G.}
}
