Variable risk of second primary malignancy in multiple myeloma patients of different ethnic subgroups

Second primary malignancies (SPMs) among multiple myeloma (MM) patients have been reported with an estimated incidence varying from 1 to 15%. We have previously reported that significant disparity exists in MM survival across patients of different ethnicities. We undertook a Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-based analysis to describe the incidence of SPMs among MM patients of different ethnicities, to explore the variable impact that SPMs might have on MM outcomes of patients across racial subgroups. We found that the risk of developing SPMs among MM patients is variable depending on the patient's ethnic background. This warrants further exploration of the impact of SPMs on outcomes of MM patients across different racial subgroups, especially in the form of prospective data collection and analyses.