Eligibility criteria and enrollment of a diverse racial and ethnic population in multiple myeloma clinical trials.

The narrow eligibility criteria may contribute to the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic subgroups in cancer clinical trials. We conducted a retrospective pooled analysis of multicenter global clinical trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration between 2006 and 2019 to support the approval of the use of multiple myeloma (MM) therapies that analyze the rates and reasons for trial ineligibility based on race and ethnicity in MM clinical trials. Race and ethnicity were coded per Office of Management and Budget standards. Patients flagged as having screen failures were identified as ineligible. Ineligibility rates were calculated as the percentage of patients who were ineligible compared with the screened population within the respective racial and ethnic subgroups. Trial eligibility criteria were grouped into specific categories to analyze the reasons for trial ineligibility. Black patients (24%) and other (23%) race subgroups had higher ineligibility rates than White patients (17%). The Asian race had the lowest ineligibility rate (12%) among all racial subgroups. Failure to meet the hematologic laboratory criteria (19%) and treatment-related criteria (17%) were the most common reasons for ineligibility among Black patients and were more common in Black patients than in other races. Failure to meet disease-related criteria was the most common reason for ineligibility among White (28%) and Asian (29%) participants. Our analysis indicates that specific eligibility criteria may contribute to enrollment disparities for racial and ethnic subgroups in MM clinical trials. However, the small number of screened patients in the underrepresented racial and ethnic subgroups limits definitive conclusions.

Analysis of racial and ethnic disparities in multiple myeloma US FDA drug approval trials.

African Americans (AAs) have a higher incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) than White patients. Mortality is also higher in AAs compared with White patients. AAs more commonly have immunoglobulin H translocations t(11;14) and t(14;16) compared with White patients. We sought to characterize the demographic representation in MM clinical trials and evaluate outcomes based on race and ethnicity. We conducted a pooled analysis of all trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support approval of a MM therapeutic between 2006 and 2019. Demographic characteristics were analyzed descriptively. An age-adjusted stratified Cox regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between time-to-event outcomes and race and ethnicity. Nineteen global trials comprising 10 157 patients were pooled. White, Asian, and Black patients comprised 84%, 7%, and 4% of the dataset, respectively; Hispanic patients comprised 4%. The age-adjusted overall survival hazard ratio (HR) for Black compared with White patients was 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-1.05). The age-adjusted HR for US Black vs US White patients was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.66-1.02). For rest-of-world (RoW) Black vs RoW White patients, the HR was 1.31 (95% CI, 0.97-1.77). Black and Hispanic patients were underrepresented in the trials supporting FDA approval of MM drugs. Black patients were primarily enrolled in the United States. Outcomes in US patients were more favorable compared with those in patients in the RoW. Given the higher incidence of MM in AAs and the different disease characteristics, efforts should be made to improve representation of AAs in MM clinical trials.

FDA Approval Summary: Lenalidomide as Maintenance Therapy After Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma.

On February 22, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for the use of lenalidomide as maintenance therapy after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) for patients with multiple myeloma. The approval was based on evidence from two randomized, blinded trials of maintenance lenalidomide versus placebo in patients with myeloma who had undergone auto-HSCT along with a third trial of lenalidomide versus no therapy. Each of the trials demonstrated superior progression-free survival for the patients treated with lenalidomide. The effect on overall survival was mixed, with one trial showing longer overall survival and another showing no effect. Subgroup analysis suggested better results for patients with International Staging System stage I or II disease compared with stage III disease. Safety evaluation did not reveal any new safety concerns. More second primary malignancies were observed in the lenalidomide arm compared with the placebo arm. The FDA concluded that lenalidomide maintenance showed a favorable benefit-to-risk ratio when used as maintenance therapy after auto-HSCT. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Prior to this approval, there were no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved maintenance therapies for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who have undergone autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT). Maintenance therapy with lenalidomide after auto-HSCT in patients with MM demonstrated an approximately 15- to 18-month advantage in progression-free survival compared with placebo at the time of the primary analysis. Patients treated with lenalidomide also appeared to have a survival advantage compared with patients treated with placebo. Because of the high rate of relapse of MM in patients following auto-HSCT and because MM is a serious and often fatal disease, these results appear to be clinically meaningful.

Perinatal Maternal Mortality in Sickle Cell Anemia: Two Case Reports and Review of the Literature.

As outcomes of patients with sickle cell anemia improve and survival into adulthood with good quality of life and expectation of long-term survival becomes more common, challenges have developed, including issues related to reproduction. Pregnancy is frequently complicated in patients with sickle cell anemia with mortality up to 4.0%. Here we report maternal perinatal mortality in two women with sickle cell anemia who died post-partum due to acute chest syndrome (ACS), caused by bone marrow fat embolism and review the literature pertinent to this subject. Patient A was a 28-year-old woman with sickle cell anemia with multiple complications. At 30 weeks' gestation she developed hemolysis associated with poor placental function necessitating delivery by C-section. The fetus was delivered successfully but she died due to multi organ failure after delivery. Autopsy showed pulmonary and amniotic fluid embolization. Patient B was a 37-year-old woman with uncomplicated sickle cell anemia who presented with pre term labor and crisis, then ACS and fetal distress. The infant was delivered successfully but the patient died after cardiovascular collapse. Autopsy results showed fat and bone marrow embolization as the cause of death. Pregnancy continues to be high risk for patients with sickle cell anemia including those with mild disease. Maternal perinatal mortality could be unpredictable due to serious complications of sickle cell disease. More studies to assess maternal perinatal mortality are needed.

Orbital Compartment Syndrome as the Presenting Sign of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation From Metastatic Prostatic Cancer to the Orbit.

A 70-year-old man with castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer to the lumbar spine presented with sudden onset of left orbital compartment syndrome. Hematologic workup revealed disseminated intravascular coagulation with isolated left orbital hemorrhage. A canthotomy and blood product transfusions failed to control the bleeding and restore vision. Operative intervention found a new left orbital roof metastasis from primary prostatic carcinoma. Acute onset of headache or ocular pain in patients with metastatic prostate cancer warrants further workup to rule out orbital and intracranial metastases, rare but significant clinical entities that can lead to severe complications.