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Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Prashant Kapoor, MD, FACP
Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Prashant Kapoor, MD, FACP
Posted: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
The limited amount of information available regarding clinical outcomes in younger patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma has prompted researchers to focus on identifying clinical trends that may provide a more comprehensive understanding of this disease in this patient population, according to a study published in JCO Global Oncology. Based on the findings in a cohort from Latin America, no differences in demographic characteristics nor clinical outcomes were found in younger patients compared with older patients, explained Humberto Martínez-Cordero, MD, MSc, of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de Colombia, Bogotá, and colleagues.
From 2010 to 2018, a total of 1,316 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were recruited for the real-world analysis. Patients were stratified based on age: younger than 40 (n = 103), between 41 and 50 (n = 256), and older than 50 (n = 957). Demographic and disease characteristics were collected from all patients and compared across age groups.
Comparative analyses did not reveal significant differences in sex, bony lesions, hypercalcemia, anemia, dialysis, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, renal involvement, or extramedullary disease across treatment groups. In addition, the most common regimen used in younger patients was cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone, followed by CTD (cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone) and VTD (bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone).
Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was employed in 53% of patients in the younger population. Following treatment with ASCT, response rates of 93.0%, 94.2%, and 94.4% were reported in patients younger than 40, patients between 41 and 50, and patients older than 50, respectively. Furthermore, no significant differences in overall survival were observed across treatment groups. Moreover, a multivariate analysis revealed independent associations between high LDH levels, high cytogenetic risk, and ASCT and survival.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit ascopubs.org.
