Medical records for myeloma care in China: documenting diagnosis, resistance and treatment readiness

A diagnosis certificate alone rarely allows a new team to decide the next step. The clinician needs to understand how myeloma was established, how disease is measured, which treatments worked and whether the patient's current health supports the proposed intervention. Preparation should make those questions answerable rather than create an unsorted archive. This guide uses professional information checked in September 2026 for patients seeking consultation or continuing treatment in China.

Key takeaways

These excerpts come from the original article. Read the full sections below for context.

Summarize the diagnosis date, present disease phase, each treatment and response, recent evidence of progression, major comorbidities and purpose of consultation. State a specific question, such as transplant assessment or selecting therapy after progression on maintenance. The summary is a navigation aid; it does not replace laboratory, pathology or prescribing records.
Patients with renal impairment should provide creatinine and renal-function trends, urine findings, protein or light-chain studies and any renal biopsy. Identify dialysis modality and frequency, access and recent problems. The receiving team must distinguish pre-existing kidney disease, myeloma-related injury and other contributors. The IMWG renal recommendations identify relevant assessments.
Receipt of files does not mean that medical evaluation is complete. Ask whether the team can identify the consultation route, which findings are outdated and what must be assessed in person. The original physician may need to explain an ambiguous resistance history or complication. If eligibility remains unconfirmed, preserve that uncertainty in travel and financial planning.

Quick answer

Full guide

Provide a one-page clinical account with the original evidence

Summarize the diagnosis date, present disease phase, each treatment and response, recent evidence of progression, major comorbidities and purpose of consultation. State a specific question, such as transplant assessment or selecting therapy after progression on maintenance. The summary is a navigation aid; it does not replace laboratory, pathology or prescribing records.

Do not turn a patient's interpretation into a confirmed diagnosis. Preserve the original clinician's assessment of whether a lesion represents progression or whether kidney injury is myeloma-related. The IMWG diagnostic criteria require combined information. Identify missing records and whether they can be obtained, rather than filling gaps with assumptions.

Include marrow and relevant tissue pathology

Provide the initial and most recent marrow aspirate and biopsy reports, including plasma-cell proportion, clonality, immunophenotype and relevant staining. If bone or soft-tissue tissue was sampled, include the pathology and anatomical site. Ask whether slides, blocks or digital pathology can be supplied if the receiving institution requests review.

Morphology, flow cytometry and biopsy findings from the same procedure may be issued separately. Keep them together and identify whether treatment had already begun when the sample was obtained. A low post-treatment plasma-cell percentage should not be mistaken for the original burden. Mark supplementary or revised reports clearly while retaining the amendment history.

Preserve the complete genetic result and method

A FISH report should not be reduced to a screenshot of the words high risk. Include the abnormalities tested, positive proportions, probes or panel details and laboratory information such as plasma-cell enrichment. If a report includes R-ISS, R2-ISS or another score, retain the underlying blood results and the version used.

The 2025 IMS/IMWG high-risk consensus emphasizes combinations and other context, illustrating why an older abbreviated summary may be insufficient. Patients do not need to calculate a new score themselves. The aim is to let the receiving clinician see what was actually tested and what remains unknown.

Protein and light-chain results need dates and units

Gather electrophoresis, immunofixation, quantitative immunoglobulins, free light chains and relevant urine studies. Retain values, units, reference ranges, dates and laboratory names, particularly at baseline, best response and suspected progression. A graph without this information may hide a method change or a unit mismatch.

Identify the original monoclonal protein pattern and how low-secretory disease has been followed. After daratumumab, link administration dates to immunofixation results because the therapeutic antibody can interfere with interpretation. An original daratumumab interference study describes this issue. Do not remove a band result because it appears inconsistent with the rest of the record; the laboratory and clinician should interpret it.

Record why each treatment ended

For every line, list generic medicines, combination, start and end dates, dose changes, best response and reason for stopping. Distinguish progression from infection, neuropathy, affordability or supply interruption. If progression occurred during maintenance, identify the medicine actually being taken at that time rather than only the original induction regimen.

Exposure and resistance are different facts with implications for later therapy and trial eligibility. Prior CAR-T, bispecific or antibody–drug conjugate treatment also requires the exact product and target. The IMWG immunotherapy-sequencing recommendations explain why this history matters. Where the generic name is unclear, provide a readable label or hospital administration record for verification instead of relying on a local abbreviation.

Send original imaging as well as reports

Supply readable CT, MRI and PET/CT files with reports, dates, coverage and treatment status at the time. Baseline and recent examinations are often both relevant, with matching sites useful for comparison. Include operative records and implant details after fracture fixation, vertebral cement treatment or mass surgery.

Bone destruction, marrow change, neural compression and metabolic activity are not identical findings. The IMWG imaging guidance explains their interpretation. A photograph of the most obvious slice can omit other lesions and may be insufficient for assessing stability. Check that the image media open and retain a backup before traveling.

Describe current renal and other organ function

Patients with renal impairment should provide creatinine and renal-function trends, urine findings, protein or light-chain studies and any renal biopsy. Identify dialysis modality and frequency, access and recent problems. The receiving team must distinguish pre-existing kidney disease, myeloma-related injury and other contributors. The IMWG renal recommendations identify relevant assessments.

Include recent blood counts, calcium and required chemistry, plus important investigations for known cardiac or pulmonary illness. Describe current breathlessness, swelling, fever, substantial bone pain or activity limitation. Normal results from several months earlier cannot establish current readiness for transplant or immunotherapy. Ask the receiving team which tests need updating for the proposed plan.

Do not omit infection and transfusion information

Document significant infections, organism or culture results, treatment and duration, especially repeated admissions. Include hepatitis B and other relevant screening, viral monitoring and preventive medicines. Hepatitis B status may change prevention and follow-up during anticancer treatment. The ASCO hepatitis B guidance provides professional context.

Supply transfusion history, abnormal antibody screens, previous reactions and anti-CD38 exposure, with available blood-group information. For allergies, describe the reaction and date rather than writing only multiple drug allergies. List prescriptions, herbal medicines and supplements so that the team can check interactions and duplication.

Transplant and cellular therapy require a process summary

After autologous transplant, provide mobilization details, collection results, storage information, conditioning, infusion date, hematological recovery and important complications. If cells remain stored, identify the institution and available records; transfer between centers requires specialist assessment. The EBMT myeloma chapter explains why these steps matter to later care.

For CAR-T, include the generic product, target, collection and infusion dates, bridging and lymphodepleting treatments, cytokine release syndrome or neurological toxicity, and later infection or count problems. The National Health Commission guidance describes specific Chinese products and management requirements. A note saying only that CAR-T was given omits information that can affect the next decision.

Retain technical details of radiation and MRD assessment

After radiation, keep the treated site, dates, total dose, fractionation and original planning data, particularly if further treatment to the same area is possible. A sentence saying spinal radiation completed does not describe previous exposure of nearby tissues. The ILROG plasma-cell radiation guideline provides the planning context.

An MRD report should identify the method, sensitivity, sampling date and adequacy, ideally linked to the treatment phase and relevant imaging. Sustained negativity and a single negative result differ, and laboratories are not always directly comparable. The IMWG response and MRD standards explain these definitions. Preserve the parameters for professional interpretation rather than translating every negative result into the word cured.

Organize and translate without changing the evidence

Group files into diagnosis, treatment timeline, laboratory trends, imaging, organ and infection history, and transplant or cellular therapy. Use the examination date and document type in file names. Keep originals and translations linked, checking numbers, units, drug names and positive or negative results carefully. Unreadable information should be marked for confirmation rather than silently corrected.

Send necessary records through the institution's designated channel and confirm the recipient and purpose. Identity and payment documents should follow the actual booking process rather than being included in public sharing of medical files. Ask how to transmit large images and whether paper originals are required so that format problems do not delay assessment on arrival.

Confirm what remains missing after submission

Receipt of files does not mean that medical evaluation is complete. Ask whether the team can identify the consultation route, which findings are outdated and what must be assessed in person. The original physician may need to explain an ambiguous resistance history or complication. If eligibility remains unconfirmed, preserve that uncertainty in travel and financial planning.

Update the summary before departure with the last treatment and any new symptoms. When returning home, obtain equally clear records of the treatment actually delivered, response, adverse events, discharge medicines and follow-up requirements. Complete documentation reduces reliance on guesswork and preserves the patient's treatment history across institutions and languages.