The Role of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in the Management of Myeloma-Related Cast Nephropathy: A 10-Year Real-World Cohort Study


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Salur H., ATAŞ Ü., Alhan N., Vural E., ILTAR U., YÜCEL O. K., ...Daha Fazla

Journal of Clinical Medicine, cilt.15, sa.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 15 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/jcm15020417
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Clinical Medicine
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: cast nephropathy, dialysis dependence, free light chains, multiple myeloma, renal impairment, therapeutic plasma exchange
  • Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background: Renal impairment is a frequent and severe complication of multiple myeloma, most commonly caused by light-chain cast nephropathy. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been proposed as an adjunctive approach to rapidly reduce circulating free light chains; however, its clinical benefit remains controversial. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 71 patients treated between 2013 and 2023, of whom 30 received TPE in addition to anti-myeloma therapy and 41 received anti-myeloma therapy alone. Renal outcomes were assessed within a predefined early treatment window encompassing the first 4–6 cycles of therapy. Renal response was defined as a ≥50% reduction in serum creatinine and/or dialysis independence. Multivariable logistic regression and sensitivity analyses were performed to adjust for baseline imbalances, including renal function and anti-myeloma backbone therapy. Results: Although renal function improved significantly over time in both groups, renal response rates were comparable between patients treated with and without TPE (40% vs. 36.6%). In multivariable analysis, TPE was not independently associated with renal response. Importantly, in a sensitivity analyses restricted to patients receiving bortezomib-based regimens, the addition of TPE remained unassociated with improved renal outcomes. Conclusions: In this real-world cohort, adjunctive TPE did not confer a significant advantage in renal recovery or dialysis independence beyond contemporary anti-myeloma therapy. These findings indicate that renal recovery is predominantly driven by effective anti-myeloma treatment rather than extracorporeal light-chain removal.