Site Editors
Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Prashant Kapoor, MD, FACP
Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Prashant Kapoor, MD, FACP
Posted: Friday, April 22, 2022
Significant racial and/or ethnic disparities exist among the administration of bone-modifying agents in patients with multiple myeloma, according to research presented by Jenny S. Guadamuz, PhD, of the University of Southern California Los Angeles, and colleagues at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2022 (Abstract 3669/8). Bone-modifying agents have been shown to reduce the incidence rate of skeletal-related pain and bone fractures in this patient population.
“Future research should determine whether these treatment disparities impact progression-free and overall survival in real-world multiple myeloma data,” the investigators concluded.
Using the Flatiron Health electronic health record database, the retrospective study identified 4,460 patients who were diagnosed with and initiated first-line therapy for multiple myeloma between January 2018 and September 2021. Many patients were White (52%), and 17% were Black, 7% were Latinx, and 2% were Asian.
Half of the included population (n = 2,208) underwent treatment with bone-modifying agents. However, use rates were lower for Black patients (44%) versus Asian (55%), White (51%), and Latinx (50%) patients. Treatment with the more recently released agent denosumab accounted for 53% of all bone-modifying agent therapy, whereas bisphosphonate monotherapy was given to 47% of patients. Black patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.83–1.36) and Asian patients (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.44–1.53) were about as likely to receive denosumab as were White patients, and they were significantly more likely to receive that therapy versus Latinx patients (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.40–0.79).
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit abstractsonline.com.
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