Psychosocial and supportive care needs of individuals with advanced myeloma

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand, from the patient's perspective, their experience of living with advanced multiple myeloma, the psychosocial impact, and needs for support in managing and adapting to this illness.

An interpretive descriptive approach was used. Individual semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with each participant, which focused on eliciting their descriptions of psychosocial issues and concerns, as well as the supports they use for coping with cancer. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretive description, resulting in the generation of common themes that represented the data.

The sample comprised twelve adults with a diagnosis of advanced multiple myeloma who had undergone at least three lines of treatment or were transfusion dependent. All participants were receiving ambulatory care for their myeloma in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four themes were generated: (1) confusion about the diagnosis and treatment options; (2) challenges in finding relevant information; (3) dealing with the chronicity of treatment side effects; (4) social support as critical for coping with the life-threat of multiple myeloma.

Findings suggest that the psychosocial impact of living with advanced multiple myeloma is greatly impacted by one's ability to understand the complexities of the diagnosis and access supports to cope with its physical and emotional consequences. Clinical interventions specifically tailored to meeting the information and support needs of this population are needed.