Emily Luke

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Safe and effective treatments for MM are limited. There is a need for real-world data to improve understanding of treatment patterns and sequencing in routine clinical practice in Japan. This study evaluated disease burden, treatment patterns, treatment sequencing, and reasons for treatment selection in patients with MM in Japan. This analysis used survey data of hematologists or hemato-oncologists and their adult patients with MM who received active treatment in a real-world setting in Japan between September 2022 and May 2023. Treatment and retreatment patterns and data from several validated patient reported outcome tools were analyzed. Formal sample size calculations were not applicable. Fifty-one physicians provided data for 309 patients, of whom 52 completed a quality-of-life survey (median [interquartile range] overall health status by EQ-5D-3L questionnaire: 0.7 [0.6-1.0]). Of 309 patients, most (77%) of the first-line cohort received a lenalidomide-based therapy. Lenalidomide retreatment was common in patients with relapsed/refractory MM (80%). Poor HRQoL and high retreatment rates indicate a need for new therapy options in patients with MM in Japan. These findings may guide healthcare policies and clinical practice in Japan.

Aim: To investigate treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization and disease burden in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: Point-in-time survey of physicians and their patients pre... Plain language summary There are many new treatments available for patients with multiple myeloma. While outcomes such as survival, symptoms and health problems experienced have improved, patients ... Tweetable abstract Despite improvements in the treatment of multiple myeloma, patients still experience symptoms and disease burden, all of which impact on healthcare resource use. Patients who are...

Aim: To explore treatment selection for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), which remains complex due to heterogeneity of available treatments and lack of defined standard of care. Patient... Plain language summary Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable cancer of white blood cells. Treatments tend to become less effective when taken for long periods of time, meaning that patients often r...

Purpose: We aimed to explore patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient and physician concordance of side effects perception across lines of therapy (LOT) in multiple myeloma (MM) within the United States of America (USA). Methods: Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World MM III Disease Specific Programme™, a point-in-time survey of hemato-oncologists/hematologists and their patients with MM conducted in the USA between August 2020 and July 2021. Physicians reported patient characteristics and side effects. Patients reported side-effect bother and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using validated PRO tools (European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire/-MM Module [EORTC QLQ-C30/-MY20], EQ-5D-3L and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General Population physical item 5). Descriptive, linear regression and concordance analyses were performed. Results: Records from 63 physicians and 132 patients with MM were analyzed. EORTC QLQ-C30/-MY20 and EQ-5D-3L scores were consistent across LOTs. Scores tended to be worse with higher side-effect bother; patients “very much” bothered by side effects had lower median (interquartile range) global health status scores (33.3 [25.0–50.0]) than those “not at all” bothered (79.2 [66.7–83.3]). Patient and physician concordance on side-effect reporting was poor to fair. Patients frequently reported fatigue and nausea as bothersome side effects. Conclusion: HRQoL of patients with MM was worse with greater side-effect bother. Discordant patient and physician reporting of side effects indicated a need for improved communication during management of MM.