Chen Y, et al. – Researchers wanted to detect whether novel agents proteasome inhibitor bortezomib and immunomodulatory drugs lenalidomide and thalidomide were effective in prolonging overall survival (OS) for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) in the real–world practice setting. As compared with those in the previous 5 years, improved survival in newly diagnosed MM patients in a more recent 5–year cohort was portrayed. Across different demographic and patient characteristics, the survival benefit was significant. However, they still noticed a substantial number of MM patients not receiving anti–MM therapy.

Methods

• From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare linked data, a nationwide and population-based retrospective cohort of elderly patients with advanced newly diagnosed MM from 2000 to 2009 were identified.
• They compared survival between cases in 2005–2009 and in 2000–2004, and between patients treated with anti-MM therapy and the untreated among cases in 2005–2009, using Cox proportional hazards models, Kaplan–Meier methods, and propensity score adjustment to further control for baseline confounding.
• 4028 (45.6%) cases were in 2000–2004 and 4811 (54.4%) in 2005–2009, among 8839 patients.

Results

• In comparison to patients in 2000–2004, OS was significantly longer for patients in 2005–2009 (27.9 vs. 20.0 months, P < 0.001).
• As compared with those in 2000–2004, the hazard ratio for OS for cases in 2005–2009 was 0.78 (95% CI 0.74–0.82).
• 54% (n = 2587) received anti-MM therapy, among 4811 cases in 2005–2009.
• OS was significantly longer (41.1 vs. 27.9 months, P < 0.001) and hazard ratio was 0.58 (95% CI 0.54–0.62) in the treated patients, as compared to those untreated.