Mortality trends in multiple myeloma after the introduction of novel therapies in the United States

Abstract

Advances in the understanding of disease biology, drug development, and supportive care have led to improved outcomes in multiple myeloma. Given that these improvements have been reported in clinical trial and referral center populations, questions remain about the generalizability of this observation to patients treated in the community. Contrasting the overall survival experience of 3783 patients seen at Mayo Clinic and 57,654 patients followed in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) between 2004 and 2018, we observed different mortality trends across patient populations and subgroups. Early mortality decreased and estimated 5-year overall survival increased over time in both patient populations. Excess mortality (compared to the general population) declined over time in Mayo Clinic patients and remained largely unchanged in SEER patients. Improvements over time were primarily observed in patients with favorable disease characteristics and older patients with multiple myeloma remain a vulnerable population with significant excess mortality compared to the United States general population. Patients with unfavorable disease characteristics have derived disproportionately less benefit from recent advances in the field. Future efforts need to focus on the development of safe and effective therapies for these patients and on increasing timely access to specialized care for patients in the community.