Treatment patterns and outcomes in elderly patients with multiple myeloma

Multiple Myeloma in Patients over 80: A Real World Retrospective Study of First Line Conservative Approach with Bortezomib Dexamethasone Doublet Therapy and Mini-Review of Literature

Data on octogenarian patients with MM are scarce, and optimal management remains controversial. We report a retrospective cohort of unselected octogenarian patients with NDMM treated with bortezomib dexamethasone (Vd). Seventy-four patients were treated with an initial doublet therapy (Vd regimen, 2−3 cycles, induction). A dose escalation with an adjunction of melphalan or cyclophosphamide was proposed for patients who had an insufficient response after induction and who could tolerate it. In responders, the treatment was continued until progression or a plateau response for 6 months (consolidation). The overall response rate was 73%. After a median follow-up of 31.4 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 13.2 and 26.9 months, respectively. PFS and OS of patients with ECOG PS < 3 (25.4 and 54.9 months, respectively) were better in comparison to PFS and OS of patients with ECOG PS ≥ 3 (9.3 and 11.3 months, respectively). Thirteen patients (17.6%) died during induction. Twelve patients (16.2%) died during consolidation. In conclusion, a conservative therapeutic strategy based on Vd resulted in a good response rate. However, the survival remains poor in the population of patients with an ECOG PS ≥ 3, mainly because of early mortality not related to progressive disease.

Clinical impacts of frailty, poor performance status, and advanced age in carfilzomib-containing treatment for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: post hoc investigation of the KOTOSG multicenter pilot prospective observational study

We conducted a post hoc analysis of our previous pilot observational study on the efficacy and safety of carfilzomib (CFZ)-containing therapy in 50 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in routine practice to clarify the relationships between three major criteria for vulnerability (frailty, poor performance status [PS], and advanced age [≥ 75 years]) and their clinical impact on efficacy and adverse events (AEs). Sixteen patients fulfilled at least one and five patients fulfilled all three criteria. The overall response rate was not significantly affected by frailty, poor PS, and/or advanced age; however, frailty and advanced age were significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS). In contrast, no significant difference in PFS was observed between patients with PS0-1 or PS2-4. The three criteria for vulnerability were associated with more frequent hematologic AEs: frailty, poor PS, and/or advanced age significantly increased the risk of grade 3-4 anemia and lymphopenia. However, these criteria were not associated with increased risk of other non-hematologic AEs except infection. Collectively, these results demonstrate the need to carefully manage severe hematologic AEs in vulnerable patients and perform disease-specific assessment of frailty to predict prognosis.

Managing multiple myeloma in elderly patients

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell neoplasm that affects elderly individuals with two-thirds of patients over 65 years at diagnosis. However, data available are derived from clinical trials conducted in younger patients. Fewer studies investigated treatment options in the elderly. This review summarizes the clinical outcomes and toxicities associated with therapeutic regimens in older patients including doublet, triplet and high dose therapyin newly diagnosed patients and relapsed patients with MM. We highlight the importance of an approach tailored to individuals, incorporates the geriatric frailty assessment, considers comorbiditiess and commits to early recognition and management of toxicities ranging from myelosuppression to polypharmacy. To date, no trial has prospectively investigated a tailored treatment paradigm in older patients based on frailty and/or comorbidities. As the population ages, the proportion of MM patients with advanced age will grow. Studies are indicated to determine optimal treatment approaches in this increasingly heterogeneous geriatric population.

Management of high-risk Myeloma: an evidence-based review of treatment strategies

INTRODUCTION

Despite the progress made in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma over recent decades, a significant cohort with high-risk disease as defined by specific clinical and genetic criteria continue to respond poorly to standard treatment. These patients represent a particular challenge to the treating physician and require early identification as well as personalized treatment strategies.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we discuss the prognostic impact of adverse clinical, radiological and genetic factors, evaluate available scoring systems and highlight key aspects of the therapeutic management of high-risk myeloma. MEDLINE and recent scientific meetings' databases were searched for the keywords 'high-risk' and 'multiple myeloma' and relevant studies relating to both diagnostic and therapeutic approaches were identified. Expert commentary: A case is made for intensive induction using combinations of novel agents, early high-dose therapy supported by autologous stem cell transplantation and the widespread use of maintenance therapies. Novel therapeutic options, especially in the field of immunotherapy, are currently explored in clinical trials and have the potential to further improve outcomes for patients with high-risk multiple myeloma.

Clinical features and treatment outcome of very elderly patients over 80 years old with multiple myeloma: comparison with patients in different age groups in the era of novel agents

We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 175 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital between April 2004 and June 2014, and identified 42 (24%), 80 (46%), and 53 (30%) patients ≥ 80, 66-79, and ≤ 65 years old, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the ≥ 80, 66-79, and ≤ 65 years old groups were 19.1, 26.3, and 54.3 months, and 31.9, 54.8, and 83.8 months, respectively. Patients ≥ 80 but not ≤ 79 years old with ECOG performance score (PS) ≥ 3 and/or Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) ≥ 5 showed significantly shorter survival. ECOG PS and CCI predicted the treatment outcome of patients ≥ 80 but did not predict ≤ 79 years old.

Treatment for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in 2015

Multiple myeloma is the second most frequent haematological disease. The introduction of high-dose melphalan followed by autologous haematopoietic cell transplant (HDT/ASCT) for young patients and the availability of novel agents for young and elderly patients with multiple myeloma have dramatically changed the perspective of treatment. However, further research is necessary if we want to definitively cure the disease. Treatment goals for transplant-eligible and non-transplant-eligible patients should be to prolong survival by achieving the best possible response, while ensuring quality of life. The treatment should be individualized on the basis of host and disease features and better monitoring of the response upon use of high-sensitivity techniques for evaluating residual disease. For young patients, HDT/ASCT is a standard of care for treatment and its efficacy has been enhanced and challenged by the new drugs. For elderly patients, treatment options were limited to alkylators, but new upfront treatment combinations based on novel agents (proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs) combined or not with alkylators have significantly improved outcomes.Extended treatment for young and elderly patients improves the quality and duration of clinical responses; however,the optimal scheme, appropriate doses and duration of long-term therapy have not yet been fully determined.This review summarises the progress in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, addressing critical questions such as the optimal induction, early versus late ASCT, consolidation and/or maintenance for young patients, and how we can choose the best option for non-transplant-eligible patients.

Review of health-related quality of life data in multiple myeloma patients treated with novel agents

In multiple myeloma (MM), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data is becoming increasingly important, owing to improved survival outcomes and the impact of treatment-related toxicity on HRQoL. Researchers are more frequently including HRQoL assessments in clinical trials, but analysis and reporting of this data has not been consistent. A systematic literature review assessed the effect of novel agents (thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide) on HRQoL in MM patients, and evaluated the subsequent reporting of these HRQoL results. A relatively small body of literature addresses HRQoL data in MM patients treated with novel MM therapeutic agents: 9 manuscripts and 15 conference proceedings. The literature demonstrates the complementary value of HRQoL when assessing clinical response, progression, overall survival and toxicity. However, weaknesses and inconsistencies in analysis and presentation of HRQoL data were observed, often complicating interpretation of the impact of treatment on HRQoL in MM. Further evaluation of HRQoL in MM patients treated with novel agents is required in larger cohorts, and ideally in head-to-head comparative studies. Additionally, the development of standardised MM-specific best practice guidelines in HRQoL data collection and analysis is recommended. These would ensure that future data are more useful in guiding predictive models and clinical decisions.