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The following is a summary of “Evolving treatment landscape of multiple myeloma in Portugal: A nation-wide retrospective cohort study of real-world clinical practice,” published in the October 2024 issue of Hematology by Bergantim et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze variations in real-world treatment patterns for multiple myeloma (MM) in Portugal over a 5-year period.
They conducted a retrospective cohort multicenter study using secondary data from the national hospital drug consumption database across 11 Portuguese public hospitals from 2017 to 2022.
They conducted a cohort study using secondary data from the national hospital drug consumption database of 11 Portuguese public hospitals from 2017 to 2022.
The results showed a 53% increase in patients with MM (from 825 to 1,266) over 5 years, with a slight male predominance (55%) and 82% over 60 years old (median age, 70 years); half were transplant eligible. The highest growth was in second-line (2L) treatments, with a 6-fold increase in patients receiving fourth-line (4L) or beyond. First-line (1L) treatment patterns remained stable for transplant-eligible (bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone [VCd], bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone [VTd], and bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone [VRd]) and non-eligible patients (bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisolone [VMP], VCd, and lenalidomide with dexamethasone [Rd]). Maintenance therapy increased from 5% to 16%, shifting from thalidomide to lenalidomide. After 5 years, the 2L and 3L were dominated by daratumumab-based regimens, with no standard 4L treatment. Treatment duration increased due to maintenance therapy and 4L treatments, and patients moved from 1L- to 2L more rapidly.
The study concluded that patients with MM advanced to higher treatment lines due to more effective therapies and longer treatment durations.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jha2.1035
