New prognostic tools for myeloma

In this issue of Blood, Palumbo et al show, in a study performed with the cooperation of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), that detailed systematic geriatric assessment of elderly myeloma patients might be a useful tool for identifying fit and frail individuals. Like most malignancies, multiple myeloma mainly affects elderly patients. Even so, in daily clinical practice, we usually only consider chronological age (i.e., is the patient under or above 65 years of age?). However, it is quite obvious that there is a huge difference between a 70-year-old fit patient and a frail patient above the age of 80.