Research Highlights Long-Term Survival and Health-Related QoL in Patients With Newly Diagnosed MM

Research presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting identified predictors of long-term survival and health-related quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).

The first abstract used data from the registry, which is a multicenter prospective observational cohort study in the United States designed to examine diagnostic and treatment patterns, clinical outcomes, and quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed MM, in order to identify characteristics associated with overall survival of 6 years or greater versus death at less than 6 years.¹

As of February 2017, the median follow-up was 65.4 months. Some of the baseline characteristics associated with overall survival of 6 years or greater were: age (being 70 years old or young); ECOG Performance Status of grade 0 or 1 (being fully active or being restricted in physically strenuous activity but ambulatory); lower International Staging System stage, which is used to prognosticate the severity of MM; and lack of history of diabetes.

The researchers also found that patients who had an overall survival of 6 years or longer also had higher rates of triplet treatment, stem cell transplant, and maintenance therapy (with or without stem cell transplant), as well as higher response rates.

The second abstract focused on patients with newly diagnosed MM who are ineligible for stem cell transplantation (SCT) as part of ALCYONE, an ongoing multicenter open-label phase 3 trial.² Patients in the trial are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy with SCT because of their age (65 years or older) or coexisting conditions. The trial has shown significant progression-free survival (PFS) with patients treated with daratumumab, bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (D-VMP) compared with patients receiving bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone alone (VMP).

“Measuring patient-reported outcomes (PROs) alongside disease progression provides the patient perspective on quality of survival and the value of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for treatment decisions,” the authors of the abstract explained.

Patients completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EuroQol Questionnaire at baseline and every 3 months during treatment. A total of 350 patients were receiving D-VMP and 356 patients received VMP. The researchers found better HRQoL in patients in the D-VMP arm, plus 59.7% of patients receiving D-VMP reported meaningful improvement in global health status as measured by EORTC QLQ-C30 compared with 52% of patients receiving VMP.

“Improvements in HRQoL were consistent with the clinical benefit showing superior PFS of D-VMP over VMP alone,” the authors concluded.

References

1. Gasparetto C, Rifkin RM, Terebelo HW, et al. Predictors of long-term survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients (pts) enrolled in the Connect MM Registry. Presented at 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. June 4, 2018; Chicago, Illinois. Abstract 8037.

2. Gries K, Fastenau J, Chen Y, et al. Health-related quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for stem cell transplantation. Presented at 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. June 4, 2018; Chicago, Illinois. Abstract 8042.