Mutations in the alternative complement pathway in multiple myeloma patients with carfilzomib-induced thrombotic microangiopathy

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) has been reported to occur in multiple myeloma (MM) patients in association with treatment with carfilzomib, an irreversible proteasome inhibitor (PI). The hallmark of TMA is vascular endothelial damage leading to microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, platelet consumption, fibrin deposition and small-vessel thrombosis with resultant tissue ischemia. The molecular mechanisms underlying carfilzomib-associated TMA are not known. Germline mutations in the complement alternative pathway have been recently shown to portend increased risk for the development of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and TMA in the setting of allogeneic stem cell transplant in pediatric patients. We hypothesized that germline mutations in the complement alternative pathway may similarly predispose MM patients to carfilzomib-associated TMA. We identified 10 MM patients with a clinical diagnosis of TMA in the context of carfilzomib treatment and assessed for the presence of germline mutations in the complement alternative pathway. Ten, matched MM patients exposed to carfilzomib but without clinical TMA were used as negative controls. We identified a frequency of deletions in the complement Factor H genes 3 and 1 (delCFHR3-CFHR1) and genes 1 and 4 (delCFHR1-CFHR4) in MM patients with carfilzomib-associated TMA that was higher as compared to the general population and matched controls. Our data suggest that complement alternative pathway dysregulation may confer susceptibility to vascular endothelial injury in MM patients and predispose to development of carfilzomib-associated TMA. Larger, retrospective studies are needed to evaluate whether screening for complement mutations may be indicated to properly counsel patients about TMA risk with carfilzomib use.