Project description:As aging increases, monoclonal gammopathy is becoming more common and monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) is gaining attention due to frequent renal involvement. Within MGRS, proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits (PGNMID) is a special category. The disease was first described in 2004 and the research history on it is relatively short. Compared with other MGRS, the detection rate of circulating clones is lower in patients with PGNMID, which is easy to miss and misdiagnose in clinical work. In this review, the etiology and clinical features of PGNMID are discussed. It is noted that PGNMID is associated not only with MGRS, but also with malignancy, infection and other factors. PGNMID is not a disease exclusive to the elderly-young people can also develop this disease. Due to the low detection rate of circulating clones in most patients, confirmation of the disease needs to be combined with renal pathology, which emphasizes the importance of completing light and heavy chain subtype staining. Treatment options for patients with PGNMID differ by etiology. For MGRS-associated PGNMID, the current treatment is primarily empirical and more research evidence is needed to fill the treatment gap.
Project description:A 55-year-old man developed rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome. A kidney biopsy specimen showed diffuse proliferative and crescentic glomerulonephritis with monoclonal IgG1κ, humps, and nephritis-associated plasmin receptor, indicating infection-associated proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin G deposits (PGNMID). Despite dialysis-dependent renal failure, symptomatic therapy resulted in spontaneous recovery of the renal function, mimicking post-infectious glomerulonephritis (PIGN). A heterozygous complement factor H mutation was detected by comprehensive genetic testing of alternative pathway regulatory genes, which might lead to persistent infection-triggered alternative pathway activation and account for severe glomerulonephritis. Post-infectious PGNMID and PIGN might share common clinical presentations and pathogenesis related to the complement pathway.
Project description:IntroductionImmunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) plus dexamethasone are effective for plasma cell dyscrasias, but the treatment efficacy of IMiD in proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits (PGNMID) has been rarely reported.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic data of 64 patients with PGNMID (steroid, IMiD, and bortezomib and dexamethasone/Rituximab [BD/RTX] groups) from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2020, at the National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease in Nanjing. The prognosis of patients receiving different treatment regimens were compared. Factors potentially affecting renal prognosis and renal response were evaluated.ResultsTwenty-eight, 26 and 10 PGNMID patients were divided into IMiD group, steroid group and BD/RTX group respectively. The rate of serum M protein detection was significantly lower in the steroid group than in the other 2 groups. Renal remission (P = 0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively) rates and renal complete remission (CR) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively) rates were significantly higher in the IMiD and BD/RTX groups than in the steroid group at the last follow-up. Multivariate logistic analysis identified that hypertension and high serum creatinine (SCr) levels (>1.24 mg/dl) decreased renal remission, whereas low C3 levels, IMiD and BD/RTX treatments were positively associated with renal remission. Multivariate Cox analysis identified IgG3 in renal tissue and high SCr levels as poor renal prognostic indicators. Severe adverse events were more common in the IMiD and BD/RTX groups than in the steroid group (P = 0.072 and P = 0.035, respectively).ConclusionOur results suggest that IMiDs plus dexamethasone is effective for achieving renal remission in PGNMID patients.
Project description:A 74-year-old man presented with nephrotic syndrome and kidney insufficiency. Laboratory tests revealed monoclonal gammopathy of immunoglobulin A-lambda. Renal biopsy revealed diffuse mesangial proliferation and double-contoured basement membranes. Immunofluorescent analyses showed granular deposition of immunoglobulin A and C3 at the capillary walls and mesangial regions. Immunohistochemistry suggested monoclonal deposition of immunoglobulin A1-lambda. Electron microscopic analyses showed finely granular electron-dense deposits at mesangial and subendothelial areas. These findings suggested immunoglobulin A-type proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits. Based on the results of bone marrow aspiration, multiple myeloma was diagnosed. Because the renal manifestation was considered to be affected by monoclonal gammopathy, chemotherapy was initiated rather than immunomodulatory therapy. Although bortezomib and dexamethasone proved ineffective, second chemotherapy with elotuzumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone was successful, and kidney function recovered. Effective treatments for proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits have not been established. This represents the first description of a patient successfully treated for proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits by chemotherapy using elotuzumab.
Project description:BackgroundGlomerulonephritis (GN) with non-Randall-type, non-cryoglobulinaemic monoclonal immunoglobulin G deposits encompasses rare diseases [proliferative GN with non-organized deposits (PGNMID) and immunotactoid GN] that cannot be distinguished without ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy (EM).MethodsHere, we report and analyse the prognosis of 41 EM-proven (PGNMID for 39/41) and 22 non-EM-proven/DNAJB9-negative cases, diagnosed between 2001 and 2019 in 12 French nephrology centres.ResultsMedian (interquartile range) serum creatinine (SCr) at presentation was 150 (92-256) µmol/L. The predominant histological pattern was membranoproliferative GN (79%), with IgG3 (74%) kappa (78%) deposits the most frequently observed. Disease presentation and patient management were similar between EM-proven and non-EM-proven cases. A serum monoclonal spike was detected for 21 patients and 10 had an underlying haematological malignancy. First-line therapy was mixed between clone-targeted therapy (n = 33), corticosteroids (n = 9) and RAAS inhibitors (n = 19). After 6 months, nine patients achieved complete and 23 partial renal recovery. In univariate analysis, renal recovery was associated with baseline SCr (odds ratio 0.70, P = 0.07). After a median follow-up of 52 (35-74) months, 38% of patients had progressed to end-stage kidney disease independently associated with baseline SCr [hazard ratio (HR) 1.41, P = 0.003] and glomerular crescentic proliferation (HR 4.38, P = 0.004).ConclusionsOur results confirm that non-cryoglobulinaemic and non-Randall GN with monoclonal IgG deposits are rarely associated with haematological malignancy. The prognosis is uncertain but may be improved by early introduction of a specific therapy.
Project description:The diagnosis of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) has recently undergone change from an electron microscopy-based classification scheme to one based largely on immunofluorescence findings. This change is due to the recognition that many of these cases are driven by abnormalities of the alternative complement cascade, resulting in the concept of C3 glomerulopathy. Here we reviewed our case files to identify those with an MPGN pattern that show false negative staining for monoclonal immunoglobulins by routine immunofluorescence. Monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits were unmasked by performing immunofluorescence on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue after protease digestion. Clinico-pathological details of 16 such cases with a mean serum creatinine of 2.7 mg/dl and mean 24 h proteinuria of 7.1 g were then determined. Hypocomplementemia was present in two-thirds of patients. Fourteen patients had a paraprotein on serum immunofixation, all of which matched the biopsy immunofluorescence staining pattern. Bone marrow biopsy showed plasma cell dyscrasia or B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in 13 patients. Ten of these patients had findings on biopsy most consistent with C3 glomerulonephritis prior to performing paraffin immunofluorescence. Thus a high index of suspicion is necessary to avoid misdiagnosis in these cases, as many would have been mistakenly diagnosed as C3 glomerulopathy or unclassified MPGN if paraffin immunofluorescence was not performed.
Project description:IntroductionProliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal IgG deposits (PGNMID) occasionally presents refractory nephrotic syndrome resulting in poor renal prognosis, but its etiology is not fully elucidated. Given that glomerular endothelial cell (GEC) stress or damage may lead to podocytopathy and subsequent proteinuria, as in thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), diabetic kidney disease, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, we investigated the evidence of glomerular endothelial injury by evaluating the expression of plasmalemmal vesicle-associated protein-1 (PV-1), a component of caveolae in the cases of PGNMID.MethodsWe measured the immunofluorescent PV-1 intensities of 23 PGNMID cases and compared with those of primary membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) (n = 5) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN) (n = 54) cases. PV-1 localization was evaluated with Caveolin-1, and CD31 staining, and the ultrastructural analysis was performed using a low-vacuum scanning electron microscope (LVSEM). To check the association of podocyte injury, we also conducted 8-oxoguanine and Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) double stain. We then evaluated PV-1 expression in other glomerulitis and glomerulopathy such as lupus nephritis and minimal change disease.ResultsThe intensity of glomerular PV-1 expression in PGNMID is significantly higher than that in the other glomerular diseases, although the intensity is not associated with clinical outcomes such as urinary protein levels or renal prognosis. Immunostaining and LVSEM analysis revealed that glomerular PV-1 expression is localized in GECs in PGNMID. 8-oxoguanine accumulation was detected in WT1-positive podocytes but not in PV-1-expressing GECs, suggesting GEC-derived podocyte injury in PGNMID.ConclusionPV-1 overexpression reflects glomerular endothelial injury, which could be associated with podocyte oxidative stress in PGNMID cases.
Project description:Daratumumab, a CD38 human monoclonal antibody, demonstrated significant clinical activity in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone alone in the primary analysis of CASTOR, a phase 3 study in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. A post hoc analysis based on treatment history and longer follow up is presented. After 19.4 (range: 0-27.7) months of median follow up, daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone prolonged progression-free survival (median: 16.7 versus 7.1 months; hazard ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.39; P<0.0001) and improved the overall response rate (83.8% versus 63.2%; P<0.0001) compared with bortezomib and dexamethasone alone. The progression-free survival benefit of daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone was most apparent in patients with 1 prior line of therapy (median: not reached versus 7.9 months; hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% con fidence interval, 0.12-0.29; P<0.0001). Daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone was also superior to bortezomib and dexamethasone alone in subgroups based on prior treatment exposure (bortezomib, thalidomide, or lenalidomide), lenalidomide-refractory status, time since last therapy (≤12, >12, ≤6, or >6 months), or cytogenetic risk. Minimal residual disease-negative rates were >2.5-fold higher with daratumumab across subgroups. The safety profile of daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone remained consistent with longer follow up. Daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone demonstrated significant clinical activity across clinically relevant subgroups and provided the greatest benefit to patients treated at first relapse. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: 02136134.