The number of bone lesions detected by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging after stem cell transplantation may predict overall survival of multiple myeloma patients, according to the results of a recent German study.

In particular, patients without bone marrow lesions after stem cell transplantation had significantly better two-year overall survival rates (100 percent) than patients with more than 20 bone marrow lesions (57 percent).

“In our study, we found a negative prognostic effect of residual lesions after therapy,” said Dr. Jens Hillengass from the University of Heidelberg in Germany and lead author of …