Improved survival in myeloma patients-a nationwide registry study of 4,647 patients ≥75 years treated in Denmark and Sweden.

The prevalence of multiple myeloma (MM) is increasing in Nordic countries and the rest of the western world. Patients aged ≥75 years at diagnosis constitute an increasing proportion of all MM patients, but are underrepresented in randomized clinical trials. There is an urgent need for studies of the characteristics, treatment and outcome in this cohort. We present data from two nationwide population-based registries of all MM patients diagnosed in Denmark from January 1, 2005 until February 18, 2020, and in Sweden from January 1, 2008 until December 31, 2019, including treatment data for patients diagnosed until 2018 (Denmark) and 2019 (Sweden). In total 4,647 patients were ≥75 years at diagnosis, compared to 7,378 younger patients. Patients ≥75 years, accounting for approximately 40% of all MM patients, are a distinct cohort with more advanced disease at diagnosis, reflected by higher International Staging System (ISS) stage, and a higher proportion have renal failure and anemia. We found a more gradual introduction of modern medications in the older cohort than in the younger, despite simultaneous changes in guidelines. Compared to the cohorts in randomized controlled trials that guide the treatment of non-transplant eligible patients, we found a higher proportion of patients ≥75 years and presenting with ISS III in the real-world populations. Nevertheless, response rates and survival are increasing, indicating that modern treatment regimens are effective and well tolerated also in elderly MM patients in real-world populations.

Validation of the UK myeloma research alliance risk profile, a new clinical prediction model for outcome in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma not eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation; a population-based study from the Danish national multiple myeloma registry.

In 2019 the UK Myeloma Research Alliance introduced the Myeloma Risk Profile (MRP) for prediction of outcome in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM), ineligible for autologous stem cell transplantation. To validate the MRP in a population-based setting we performed a study of the entire cohort of transplant ineligible MM patients above 65 years in the Danish National MM Registry. Our data confirmed the value of the MRP. In a cohort of 1,377 patients, the MRP score separated patients into three distinct risk-groups with an observed hazard ratio of 2.91 for early death in high-risk versus low-risk patients.