EHA 2018: UK real-world outcomes in NDMM

Faouzi Djebbari (Oxford) also gives his thoughts on the unmet needs of the newly diagnosed MM patient who is ineligble for stem cell transplantation.

Interview by Esther Drain. Article by Maria Dalby.

In the UK the standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed MM who are ineligible for transplantation is to receive fixed-duration therapy (FDT) for 6-8 cycles until best response, followed by a treatment-free interval (TFI).

Dr Karthik Ramasamy (Oxford) and Faouzi Djebbari (Oxford) discuss their UK real world data on newly diagnosed MM patients who are ineligible for stem cell transplantation.

A retrospective analysis of a cohort of 292 patients treated with FDT in the Thames Valley Cancer Network between 2009 and 2017 showed that patient age had a significant impact on OS and PFS: patients aged ≤75 years had significantly prolonged OS (49.0 versus 22.4 months, HR=2.08, 95% CI 1.53, 2.83; p<0.0001) and PFS (9.7 versus 8.0 months, HR=1.47, 95% CI 1.13, 1.89; p<0.01) compared with patients aged >75 years.

In contrast, the choice of thalidomide or proteasome inhibitor as first-line therapy had no significant impact on OS or PFS. The only clinically meaningful TFI was noted after following first-line therapy, which led the investigators to conclude that a continuous therapeutic approach with manageable toxicities may be more appropriate in transplant ineligible MM patients (poster PS1313).

Article: Maria Dalby