Does t(11;14) Translocation Affect Outcomes in Multiple Myeloma?
Posted: Wednesday, November 24, 2021
According to findings presented in Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia, the t(11;14) translocation appears to be a neutral prognostic factor in the general population of patients with multiple myeloma; however, it may prove to be a negative prognostic factor for overall survival in Black patients with multiple myeloma. Rafat Abonour, MD, of Indiana University, Indianapolis, and colleagues acknowledged that the inferential analyses presented in their study are exploratory and mostly from a community-based patient population.
“[Translocation] t(11;14) (found in ∼20% of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma) is currently classified as standard risk per International Myeloma Working Group guidelines, but there is no consensus about its prognostic ability, and data are lacking on its effect on outcomes from first-line therapy,” the authors said.
In this trial, the authors focused on patient data from the United States–based, multicohort Connect MM Registry of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The authors analyzed the t(11;14) status on first-line therapy outcomes in the overall patient population (1,574 patients) and specifically in Black and non-Black patient cohorts.
The authors found that baseline characteristics were generally similar between the 378 patients with t(11;14) and the 1,196 patients without the translocation. The rate of t(11;14) was also similar across the racial groups (27% in Black patients vs. 24% in non-Black patients).
In the overall population, though, regardless of first-line therapy, t(11;14) status did not impact progression-free or overall survival of patients with multiple myeloma. However, Black patients with t(11;14) tended to have a higher likelihood of death.
“These disparities in clinical outcomes might exist because of inherent biological or molecular differences in the African American and non–African American patients or because of differences in baseline characteristics between these groups,” the authors hypothesized.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit sciencedirect.com.
