Recombinant Human Erythropoietin May Negatively Influence Survival in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Multiple Myeloma: A Single Center Experience in 246 Patients.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4814-4814
Author(s):  
Eirini Katodritou ◽  
Evgenia Verrou ◽  
Anastasia Banti ◽  
Vassiliki Gastari ◽  
Dimitra Mihou ◽  
...  

Abstract Anemia is a common clinical problem in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), which adversely affects their quality of life. The administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) improves anemia in about 2/3 of patients. However, it has not been clarified if r-HuEPO has any beneficial or adverse impact on the overall survival, particularly in a clear population of MM patients. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of r-HuEPO administration on the overall survival of newly diagnosed patients with MM. Two hundred forty-six newly diagnosed symptomatic MM patients, 139 males and 107 females, with a median age of 67 years (range 29–90) were studied. R-HuEPO was administered according to standard criteria, when Hb levels were less than 10.5g/dl and it was titrated and discontinued when Hb level reached 13g/dl. The parameters evaluated for predicting survival were: Age, sex, Hb, platelets, bone marrow infiltration, serum creatinine, serum ferritin, ISS score, B2-microglobulin and r-HuEPO administration. Cox regression was used for the univariate and multivariate analysis. One hundred forty-two patients received r-HuEPO and 105 did not. The median duration of r-HuEPO administration was 6 weeks (range 4–10) and the median hemoglobin level of patients who received r-huEPO, was 9.2g/dl (range 7.3–10.5 g/dl). The median follow up was 31 months (range 1–231). The univariate analysis showed that, age, Hb, platelets, serum creatinine, serum ferritin, ISS score, B2-microglobulin and r-HuEPO administration predicted for survival (p<0.05). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that, age, ISS score and r-HuEPO administration were statistically significant for predicting overall survival (p<0.05). The median survival of patients in the r-HuEPO group was 22 months (SD 22.7mo) whereas in the group without r-HuEPO administration it was 40 months (SD 35.8mo) (p=0.02). These results, suggest that r-HuEPO administration may negatively influence overall survival in newly diagnosed patients with MM and therefore, within this context, it should be used with caution. The large number of exclusively MM patients with a long follow up included in this study, highlights the importance of these results.

Author(s):  
Andreas Breenfeldt Andersen ◽  
Thomas Christian Bonne ◽  
Jacob Bejder ◽  
Grace Jung ◽  
Tomas Ganz ◽  
...  

Current markers of iron deficiency (ID) such as ferritin and hemoglobin have shortcomings, and hepcidin and erythroferrone (ERFE) could be of clinical relevance in relation to early assessment of ID. Here, we evaluate whether exposure to altitude-induced hypoxia (2,320 m) alone, or in combination with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) treatment, affects hepcidin and ERFE levels before alterations in routine ID biomarkers and stress erythropoiesis manifest. Two interventions were completed, each comprising a four-week baseline, a four-week intervention at either sea level or altitude, and a four-week follow-up. Participants (n=39) were randomly assigned to 20 IU·kg bw-1 rHuEPO or placebo injections every second day for three weeks during the two intervention periods. Venous blood was collected weekly. Altitude increased ERFE (P≤0.001) with no changes in hepcidin or routine iron biomarkers, making ERFE of clinical relevance as an early marker of moderate hypoxia. rHuEPO treatment at sea level induced a similar pattern of changes in ERFE (P<0.05) and hepcidin levels (P<0.05), demonstrating the impact of accelerated erythropoiesis and not of other hypoxia-induced mechanisms. Compared to altitude alone, concurrent rHuEPO treatment and altitude exposure induced additive changes in hepcidin (P<0.05) and ERFE (P≤0.001) parallel with increases in hematocrit (P<0.001), demonstrating a relevant range of both hepcidin and ERFE. A poor but significant correlation between hepcidin and ERFE was found (R2=0.13, P<0.001). The findings demonstrate that hepcidin and ERFE are more rapid biomarkers of changes in iron demands than routine iron markers. Finally, ERFE and hepcidin may be sensitive markers in an anti-doping context.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (22) ◽  
pp. 3664-3670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyrille Hulin ◽  
Thierry Facon ◽  
Philippe Rodon ◽  
Brigitte Pegourie ◽  
Lotfi Benboubker ◽  
...  

Purpose Until recently, melphalan and prednisone were the standards of care in elderly patients with multiple myeloma. The addition of thalidomide to this combination demonstrated a survival benefit for patients age 65 to 75 years. This randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III trial investigated the efficacy of melphalan and prednisone plus thalidomide in patients older than 75 years with newly diagnosed myeloma. Patients and Methods Between April 2002 and December 2006, 232 previously untreated patients with myeloma, age 75 years or older, were enrolled and 229 were randomly assigned to treatment. All patients received melphalan (0.2 mg/kg/d) plus prednisone (2 mg/kg/d) for 12 courses (day 1 to 4) every 6 weeks. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg/d of oral thalidomide (n = 113) or placebo (n = 116), continuously for 72 weeks. The primary end point was overall survival. Results After a median follow-up of 47.5 months, overall survival was significantly longer in patients who received melphalan and prednisone plus thalidomide compared with those who received melphalan and prednisone plus placebo (median, 44.0 v 29.1 months; P = .028). Progression-free survival was significantly prolonged in the melphalan and prednisone plus thalidomide group (median, 24.1 v 18.5 months; P = .001). Two adverse events were significantly increased in the melphalan and prednisone plus thalidomide group: grade 2 to 4 peripheral neuropathy (20% v 5% in the melphalan and prednisone plus placebo group; P < .001) and grade 3 to 4 neutropenia (23% v 9%; P = .003). Conclusion This trial confirms the superiority of the combination melphalan and prednisone plus thalidomide over melphalan and prednisone alone for prolonging survival in very elderly patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. Toxicity was acceptable.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 4866-4866
Author(s):  
Luciana Correa Oliveira de Oliveira ◽  
Juliana Alves Uzuelli ◽  
Ana Paula Alencar de Lima Lange ◽  
Barbara Amelia Aparecida Santana-Lemos ◽  
Marcia Sueli Baggio ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 4866 Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable malignant disease, characterized by increased angiogenesis in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and aberrant BM metabolism. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases implicated in tumour progression, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis, via proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrix. MMPs are inhibited by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP). Although recent studies have implicated MMP 9 in MM bone disease, little is known about the role of the TIMPs. Objectives a) to compare levels of sRANKL, OPG, MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, VEGF, bFGF, microvessel density (MVD) between newly diagnosed MM patients and healthy controls; b) to determine the association of these molecules with disease progression, bone disease and neoangiogenesis and c) to evaluate the impact of these variables on survival. Patients and Methods As of July 2009 38 newly diagnosed and untreated multiple myeloma patients were enrolled in the study. The median age was 61years-old (range 39-91) with 24 (63%) males. Patients were diagnosed and categorized according The International Myeloma Working Group criteria and ISS, respectively. Bone involvement was graded according to standard X-ray: patients with no lesions, or with one/ two bones involved or diffuse osteoporosis were classified as low score, whereas patients with lesions in more than two bones or presence of bone fracture were classified as high score. MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined by PAGE gelatin zymography from plasma as previously described. MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, OPG and sRANKL concentrations were measured by ELISA. The levels of VEGF, bFGF were obtained using cytometric bead array. Ten healthy volunteers were used as controls. Bone marrow MVD measured in hotspots was evaluated in 26 out of 38 patients at diagnosis and 15 patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma stage IA and IIA (used as controls) by staining immunohistochemically for CD34. Comparisons among groups were analyzed by ANOVA and the correlation by the Spearman's correlation coefficient. Cox regression were performed for overall survival (OS) analysis. Results Patients with MM had elevated TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and OPG values compared with controls. No significant difference was found between plasma sRANKL, pro-MMP2, pro-MMP9 and MMP-9 levels. We found that plasma TIMP-1 levels correlated positively with bFGF, VEGF, MVD, beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) and OPG (r: 0.514, p=0,001, r: 0.350, p=0,031; r: 0.610, p<0.0001; r: 0.760, p<0.0001 and r: 0.701, p<0.0001, respectively) and TIMP-2 levels with bFGF, DMV, B2M and OPG (r: 0.512, p=0.002; r: 0.595, p<0.0001; r: 0.587, p<0.0001 and r: 0.552, p<0.0001, respectively). TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels correlated with the ISS stage (p<0.0001, p=0.006, respectively). The only variables that correlated with clinical bone disease staging were hemoglobin, B2M and albumin levels, whereas TIMP-1, TIMP-2, bFGF, VEGF and OPG correlated with DMV. On the univariate analyses, age, gender, proMMP2, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, creatinine, B2M and MVD were significantly associated with overall survival. In Cox regression model, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and B2M levels remained to be significantly associated with OS. In conclusion, our results suggest that TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels are strongly associated with neoangiogenesis and are independent prognostic factors in MM. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Min Kim ◽  
Moon Jin Kim ◽  
Hyun Ae Jung ◽  
Kihyun Kim ◽  
Seok Jin Kim ◽  
...  

Multiple myeloma occurs primarily in elderly patients. Considering the high prevalence of comorbidities, comorbidity is an important issue for the management of myeloma. However, the impact of comorbidity on clinical outcomes has not been fully investigated. We retrospectively analyzed patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. Comorbidities were assessed based on the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and the Freiburg comorbidity index (FCI). The CCI is a summary measure of 19 comorbid conditions. FCI is determined by performance status, renal impairment, and lung disease. This study included 127 patients with a median age of 71 years. Approximately half of the patients had additional disorders at the time of diagnosis, and diabetes mellitus was the most frequent diagnosis (18.9%). The most significant factors for prognosis among patient-related conditions were a history of solid cancer and performance status (ECOG ≥ 2). The FCI score was divided into 3 groups (0, 1, and 2-3), and the CCI score was divided into 2 groups (2-3 and ≥4). FCI was a strong prognostic tool for OS (P>0.001) and predicted clinical outcome better than CCI (P=0.059). In conclusion, FCI was more useful than CCI in predicting overall survival in elderly patients with myeloma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20518-e20518
Author(s):  
Marshall McKenna ◽  
Rena Feinman ◽  
Jaeil Ahn ◽  
Shuqi Wang ◽  
David H. Vesole ◽  
...  

e20518 Background: Gut microbiome dysbiosis is correlated with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) patients. In the allo-SCT population, antibiotics have been associated with increased risk for GVHD mortality and relapse due to loss of gut obligate anaerobes . It has been shown that antibiotics may negatively impact the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors for patients with solid tumors. Based on these studies, we performed a retrospective analysis to determine if antibiotic treatment affects outcomes of multiple myeloma (MM) patients after autologous SCT (ASCT). Methods: This is a single institution retrospective study at Hackensack University Medical Center. A list of consecutive MM patients treated from 1/2012 to 12/2015 was obtained and an electronic medical record review of the first 217 who received ASCT was performed. Baseline characteristics, treatment history, transplant course and antibiotic treatment (including β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, metronidazole, and vancomycin) were reviewed. Prophylactic antibiotics were excluded. Response was defined using the IMWG criteria. Median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log rank tests were used to compare the difference in survival between stratified groups. The LASSO cox regression analysis method was used for multivariate analyses of PFS and OS. Results: Of the 217 patients, 205 patients were available for analysis. Median age at ASCT was 61. β-lactams were associated with decreased median PFS (1.95 vs 4.77 years (yrs), p < 0.01) and decreased median OS (7.51 vs 13.45 yrs, p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis adjusting for lasso-selected age, gender, complete remission (CR) after ASCT, and ISS demonstrated independent progression risk associated with β-lactam use (HR = 2.00, 95% CI, 1.28–3.12, p < 0.01). β-lactams were associated with worse OS in multivariate analysis adjusting for lasso-selected age, gender, CR after ASCT and high risk cytogenetics (HR = 1.89, 95% CI, 1.07–3.40, p = 0.03). Conclusions: In this preliminary study, β-lactams predicted for decreased PFS and OS compared to patients who did not receive β-lactams in MM patients undergoing ASCT. The study was limited by its retrospective nature but demonstrates one of the first evaluations of antibiotic effect on the ASCT population in MM. Prospective studies evaluating the impact of antimicrobials on patient outcomes and the gut microbiome are ongoing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 413-413
Author(s):  
Benjamin Walker Fischer-Valuck ◽  
Sagar Anil Patel ◽  
Hiram Alberto Gay ◽  
John Paul Christodouleas ◽  
Paul Sargos ◽  
...  

413 Background: Limited data exists on the role of local therapy for metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (mUC). Large database analysis have inherent limitations but can shed light on survival outcomes in a real-world population and in scenarios not easily studied in a randomized fashion. We hypothesized that in the NCDB, radiotherapy (RT) to the bladder plus chemotherapy (CT) would be associated with improved overall survival (OS) vs CT alone. Methods: We queried the NCDB for newly diagnosed mUC cases (cT1-4 N0-3 M1) from 2004-2015 treated with CT alone vs CT plus RT to ≥ 45 Gy to the bladder. Cystectomy patients were excluded. To account for lead time bias, we excluded patients with < 2 months of follow-up. Variables for multivariable analysis (MVA) and matching included: age, sex, Charlson-Deyo comorbidity index (CCI), cT/N stage, facility type/location, insurance, year of diagnosis, and number of CT agents. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses was performed. Propensity score matching (all variables) and exact matching (CCI score, age +/- 5 years, cT stage) was performed. Results: 4,459 patients with newly diagnosed mUC received either CT+ RT (n = 337) or CT alone (n = 4,122). Median follow-up was 10.7 months (range 2-144). Median RT dose was 57.6 Gy (IQR, 50.0– 63.0 Gy). Median OS for CT+RT was 13.8 (95% CI, 12.1-15.5) vs. 8.4 months (95% CI, 7.5-9.4) for CT (P < 0.0001). In MVA, RT was associated with improved OS (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.62-0.79; P < 0.0001). Increasing age, comorbidity score, and cT-stage were associated with worse OS (P < 0.001). In subgroup analysis of patients without other comorbidities (CCI of 0), median OS for CT+RT was 14.4 (95% CI, 12.1-16.7) vs 11.1 months (95% CI, 10.7-11.5) for CT (P = 0.001). For patients with cT2-3N0 disease, median OS for CT+RT was 14.0 months (95% CI, 6.8-21.3) vs 10.9 months (95% CI, 10.1-11.7) for CT (P = 0.001). On propensity matched analysis (337 CT+RT and 337 CT patients), CT+RT was associated with improved OS (median 13.8 vs 8.5 months; P < 0.0001; MVA HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.50-0.69, P < 0.0001). On exact matched analysis (205 CT+RT and 205 CT patients), CT+RT was associated with improved OS (median 13.5 vs 9.9 months; P = 0.002; MVA HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.57-0.79, P = 0.002). Landmark analysis for patients living ≥6 months (median OS 16.3 vs 13.6 months, P = 0.004) and ≥12 months (median OS 22.2 vs 19.1 months, P = 0.029) demonstrated improved OS for CT+RT. Conclusions: In this large contemporary series, mUC patients treated with local RT plus CT had improved OS compared to CT alone. The magnitude of the effect persisted with matching and landmark analysis to try to mitigate the effect of selection bias, though we could not control for extent of metastatic disease. These findings are hypothesis-generating; a prospective trial evaluating the impact of bladder RT in mUC is warranted.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 2970-2970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaji Kumar ◽  
Angela Dispenzieri ◽  
Martha Lacy ◽  
Suzanne R. Hayman ◽  
Francis Buadi ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 2970 Background: Over a quarter of patients (pts) with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) have some degree of renal insufficiency at the time of diagnosis. Multiple studies show that presence of renal failure is strong predictor of inferior overall survival in MM. With effective therapy, renal function improves in a considerable number of patients. It is not clear if the return of renal function to normal levels will improve their outcome to that expected for patients without renal dysfunction. Methods: We evaluated 1478 patients with newly diagnosed myeloma seen at Mayo Clinic within 90 days of diagnosis, between January 1999 and January 2009. We examined these patients for improvement in renal function and identified the lowest serum creatinine obtained during the disease course. The outcomes were analyzed with respect to the renal function improvements. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 64 years (range; 22–93) and 50% were male. The median estimated follow up for the entire cohort was 53 months, with 781 patients alive at the time of analysis with a median follow of 3 years. The serum creatinine was over 1.5 mg/dL at diagnosis in 333 (22.5%) pts and over 2.5 mg/dL in 148 (10%) pts. The median overall survival for the 333 patients was 37 mos (95% CI; 28, 40) compared to 56 mos (95% CI; 51, 63) for those < 1.5 mg/dL; P < 0.001. Among the 333 pts with baseline Cr > 1.5 mg/dl, any improvement in Cr was seen in 263 (79%) including an improvement of at least 0.5 mg/dL in 208 (62%) pts. Among the 263 pts with any improvement, the median time to lowest Cr was 4 months (range; 1–13). The median survival of the group of patients with Cr <= 1.5 mg/dl, over 1.5 mg/dL at diagnosis but improved to <= 1.5 mg/dL, or remained >1.5 mg/dL were 56., 40 and 27 mos respectively; P < 0.001, Figure). We then examined the impact of renal function improvement in the group of patients where the baseline Cr was >2.5 mg/dL. The median OS for the 42 (out of 148 pts with Cr > 2.5 at diagnosis) who had improved to <=1.5 mg/dL was 40 mos compared to 56 mos for those with a Cr <= 1.5 mg/dL at diagnosis and 27.4 mos for the 106 pts whose Cr did not decrease to <= 1.5 mg/dL; P < 0.001. Conclusion: The results of this study point toward improved outcome among patients with renal dysfunction in whom renal function improves. However, it shows that this improvement in renal function does not necessarily improve survival to that observed for the patients with a comparable level of serum creatinine at diagnosis. While early treatment of asymptomatic myeloma has been shown to have little impact on overall survival, a strategy of waiting for serious features of target organ damage to appear before initiation of treatment may have a negative impact on survival in some patients, especially patients with high light chain production who have a higher predilection for renal insufficiency. Disclosures: Kumar: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding. Off Label Use: Lenalidomide for treatment of newly diagnosed myeloma. Dispenzieri:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Binding Site: Honoraria. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 2917-2917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise de Swart ◽  
Alex Smith ◽  
Pierre Fenaux ◽  
Argyris Symeonidis ◽  
Eva Hellström-Lindberg ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 2917 Background: The European LeukemiaNet MDS (EUMDS) registry is designed to collect information about the demographics and disease-management of newly diagnosed low-risk and intermediate-1 risk MDS patients. From April 2008 until July 2010, 828 patients have been registered in eleven participating countries through a web-based reporting system. Objectives: This report describes the disease-management of the first 800 registered patients, including transfusion-related issues like secondary iron overload and its treatment. Results: 159 of 800 patients (20%) started MDS specific treatment within three months before registration; this percentage increased to 50% at 18 months of follow-up. Most patients received erythroid-stimulating agents (ESA), like erythropoietin (Table 1). In patients with a clinical indication for ESA, the percentage of transfusion-independency was similar to the transfusion-independent group without indication for ESA at 18 months of follow-up (Table 1). Overall, 27% of the patients received blood transfusions at registration. This percentage remained stable during follow-up, probably due to the therapeutic effect of ESA (Table 1). The number of units transfused, per 6 months, in these patients increased from 5 to 13 units at 18 months of follow-up, with a mean pre-transfusion Hb level of 7.6 g/dL. The serum ferritin levels of the transfusion-dependent patients at registration were available in 159 patients. The serum ferritin level at registration was ≥2000 μg/L in 4% of the patients who received a mean number of 10 units (SD 7). This increased to 28% of the patients who received a mean number of 20 units (SD 11) at 18 months of follow-up. The percentage of patients on iron chelation therapy increased from 1% to 9% during follow-up (Table 1). In these patients the mean serum ferritin levels remained stable: 1913 μg/L (SD 1183) at registration and 1626 μg/L (SD 1232) at 18 months of follow-up. In contrast, transfusion-dependent patients not treated with iron chelation or ESA had increasing ferritin levels, with a mean ferritin of 630 μg/L (SD 597) at registration and 1586 μg/L (SD 1017) at 18 months of follow-up. 37 patients (5%) progressed to high-risk MDS or acute myeloblastic leukemia at a median of 155 days from registration. 62 patients (8%) have died within a median of 269 days from registration, 32 deaths were MDS related. The overall survival was 93% at 18 months of follow-up, with a progression-free survival of 90%. Differences in overall survival between transfusion-independent and transfusion-dependent patients were significant: 97% versus 85%, respectively (p<0.0001; Table 2). In the multivariate analysis transfusion-dependency, ferritin levels and IPSS score predicted survival (Table 2). The IPSS score had a significant prognostic impact on overall survival and progression-free survival in contrast to the WHO classification (Data not shown). Conclusions: Despite a high transfusion load the mean serum ferritin levels remained stable during treatment with iron chelation. Transfusion-dependent patients had a worse overall survival and progression-free survival with higher ferritin levels and higher IPSS score as compared to transfusion-independent patients. This report demonstrates the importance of detailed disease-management in low- and intermediate-1 risk MDS patients. Disclosures: Fenaux: Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen Cilag: Honoraria, Research Funding; ROCHE: Honoraria, Research Funding; AMGEN: Honoraria, Research Funding; GSK: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck: Honoraria, Research Funding; Cephalon: Honoraria, Research Funding. Bowen:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AMGEN: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 3972-3972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaji K. Kumar ◽  
Angela Dispenzieri ◽  
Morie A Gertz ◽  
Martha Q Lacy ◽  
John A Lust ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3972 Background: The treatment paradigm for myeloma has undergone a dramatic shift in the past decade with the introduction of the novel agents and their application at every stage of the treatment. We and others had previously shown that survival of patients with myeloma had improved in the earlier half of the last decade and attributed this to a combination of novel therapies as well as increased use of stem cell transplant. It is not clear if this momentum in improving survival has been maintained. We examined the survival trends of patients with newly diagnosed myeloma seen within the past decade to examine this question. Patients and Methods: We studied 1056 patients with newly diagnosed myeloma, who were seen at Mayo Clinic between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2010; who were seen within 30 days of their diagnosis. For examination of the time trends, we grouped the time interval into two five year periods, 2001–2005 and 2006–2010. Survival was estimated using Kaplan Meier method and survival curves were compared by log rank test. Impact of various prognostic factors was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards test. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 65 (range; 22–92), and 59% were male. The median estimated follow up for the entire cohort was 4.6 years (95% CI; 4.4, 4.9) and 57% of the patients were alive at last follow up. The median overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort was 5.4 years (95% CI; 5, 6.3). The overall survival for patients in the 2001–2005 group was 4.6 years compared with not reached for the 2006–2010 cohort (P< 0.001). The five-year estimated OS was 48% for the earlier group compared with 66% for the latter group. The estimated 1-year survival was 90% for the recent cohort compared with 83% for the earlier cohort, suggesting improvements in the early mortality. Interestingly, the improvement was predominantly seen in the older age group (>65 years; 49%). The 5-year survival of the older patients improved significantly from 31% (2001–2005) to 56% (2006–2010) (P<0.001). In contrast, among younger patients (≤65 years of age), the 5-year survival improved only marginally from 63% (2001–2005) to 73% (2006–2010) (P=NS). One or more novel agents (Lenalidomide, thalidomide or bortezomib) were used as part of initial therapy in 631 (62% of 1021 in whom treatment data was available). The OS among of this group was 7.3 years (95% CI; 5.9, NR) compared with 3.8 years (95% CI; 3.1, 4.6). In a multivariate model that included both use of novel agent and the year group, only the novel agent use was associated with improved survival suggesting that the improvement in the survival is related to the increased use of novel agents in the initial therapy. No significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of conventional prognostic factors. Conclusions: The current results confirm continued improvement in the overall survival of patients, even within the last 10 year period, and highlight the impact of initial therapy with novel agents. Most importantly, we demonstrate that the improved survival has primarily benefited older patients. Our study highlights that urgent need for additional new agents to provide further survival improvement for younger patients, and in order achieve a cure for this disease. Disclosures: Kumar: Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene: Research Funding; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Janssen Research & Development: Research Funding. Gertz:Binding Site: Honoraria.


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