MAGE genes: Prognostic indicators in AL amyloidosis patients

A high frequency of MAGE‐CT (cancer testis) antigens are expressed in Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients; however, in other plasma cell dyscrasias, their potential function remains unclear. We measured the expression of MAGE‐CT genes (MAGE‐C1/CT7, MAGE‐A3, MAGE‐C2/CT10) in 105 newly diagnosed amyloid light‐chain (AL) amyloidosis patients between June 2013 and January 2018 at Peking University People's Hospital using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In the newly diagnosed AL patients, the positive expression rates of patients with MAGE‐C1/CT7, MAGE‐C2/CT10 and MAGE‐A3 were 83.8% (88/105), 56.71% (38/67) and 22.0% (13/59) respectively. There was no significant correlation between organ propensity and MAGE‐CT gene expression. Changes in the MAGE‐C1/CT7 levels were consistent with a therapeutic effect. The expression levels of MAGE‐C1/CT7, MAGE‐C2/CT10 and MAGE‐A3 provide potentially effective clinical indicators for auxiliary diagnoses and monitoring treatment efficacy in AL amyloidosis patients.