Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) and enhance the level of diagnosis and treatment.
Method: The data of 15 patients with WM in our hospital from November 1995 to October 2007 were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: The median age was 68.5 (60 - 79) years, male/female = 2.75/1. Main clinical manifestations were fatigue, loss of weight, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. All the patients accepted the treatment of alkylating agents, purine nucleoside analogs, bortezomib or thalidomide respectively. The follow-up period for the patients was 4 months to 10 years and the median follow-up time was 82 months.
Conclusion: WM may often be seen in old male patients with varied clinical manifestations. The primary treatment is chemotherapy, but the disease is incurable. Bortezomib and thalidomide may improve the therapeutic effect.