Treatment of multiple myeloma in old patients. Finnish Leukaemia Group

Patients aged 70 yr or older with multiple myeloma were treated, when suitable, according to concurrent trial protocols for younger patients, with the exception that the cytostatic regimen was not allocated at random. Intermittent melphalan and prednisone (MP) was given as the primary treatment to 42 patients and 5-drug combination MOCCA to 68 patients. The groups were comparable with each other, and the distribution of the clinical stages of the patients was similar to the younger patients in concurrent trials. An at least 50% response was achieved in 33% (SE 7.3) with MP and in 75% (SE 5.3) with MOCCA. The median survival times were 39 and 32 months, the relative age-adjusted survival times 45 and 41 months, respectively. Advanced age as such is thus no contraindication for active treatment of myeloma, and in suitable patients the results compare well with those achieved in younger patients.