RESUMO
Serious infection is common in patients with multiple myeloma due to immune deficiency from the underlying disease and/or its treatment. Immunoglobulin replacement is one approach to reduce infection risk in these patients. However, few real-world data exist on its use in patients with myeloma. We investigated immunoglobulin use in Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific using registry data and explored its association with survival outcomes. A total of 2374 patients with a median follow-up time of 29.5 months (interquartile range 13.3-54.3 months) were included in the analysis - 1673 from Australia, 313 Korea, 281 New Zealand and 107 Singapore. Overall, 7.1% of participants received immunoglobulin replacement within 24 months of diagnosis. Patients who received immunoglobulin replacement were likely to be younger, had lower baseline IgG levels (excluding paraprotein), were more likely to have baseline hypogammaglobulinaemia, baseline severe hypogammaglobulinaemia and abnormal baseline fluorescent in-situ hybridisation status, receive first-line myeloma treatment with immunomodulatory drugs or anti-CD38 therapy and undergo upfront autologous stem cell transplant. In our patient cohort, the use of immunoglobulin was not associated with overall survival benefit at the time of last follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.46-1.14, p = 0.16). Understanding treatment approaches in clinical practice can help support future planning and provision of immunoglobulin resources.
RESUMO
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell neoplasm with an incidence of 100 patients per year in Singapore. Major advances have been made in the diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment of MM in the recent past. The reclassification of a subset of patients with smouldering MM, based on high-risk biomarkers, and the development of the revised international staging system are among the key new developments in diagnosis and staging. The use of novel agent-based treatment has resulted in significant improvements in the survival and quality of life of many patients with MM. Determining the optimal use of proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulators and, more recently, monoclonal antibodies is an area of ongoing investigation. In this guideline, we aim to provide an overview of the management of MM, incorporating the latest developments in diagnosis and treatment.
