Characteristics and survival trends in Finnish multiple myeloma patients—a nationwide real-world evidence study

• Published in: Annals of hematology 2021-07, Vol.100 (7), p.1779-1787
• Main Authors: Toppila, Iiro, Miettinen, Tatu, Lassenius, Mariann I., Lievonen, Juha, Bauer, Melissa, Anttila, Pekka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Epidemiology; Hematology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Multiple myeloma; Oncology; Original Article; Stem cell transplantation
• ISSN: 0939-5555; 1432-0584
• DOI: 10.1007/s00277-021-04481-4

Current understanding of the epidemiology and outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma in Finland is scarce due to lack of comprehensive real-world evidence in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of epidemiological characteristics and treatment and survival outcomes by utilizing multiple real-world data sources with information of adults treated for active multiple myeloma (MM) during years 2005–2016 in Finland. A total of 3851 adult MM patients with C90.0 diagnosis fulfilling all inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. The average myeloma incidence was six cases per 100,000, which slightly increased ( p = 0.011) during the follow-up. The age-standardized incidence was three cases per 100,000 in the years 2005–2016. On average, 25% of patients received autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), and this proportion increased during the years 2005–2015 from 17 to 30%. The majority of patients under 65 years of age received ASCT treatment (60.5%), whereas only 8.7% of patients 65 years of age or older were treated with ASCT. The net median overall survival improved by approximately 5 months from 2005–2010 (3.44 years) to 2011–2016 (3.89 years); after adjusting for covariates, this presented an annual 4% reduction in the risk of death. Longer median survival and decreased risk of death indicate improved treatment outcomes from 2005 to 2016 among adult MM patients in Finland.