Multiple myeloma: Unveiling the survival data with different lines of treatments

The incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) is rising and there are fewer Indian studies; a comprehensive research of MM patients' survival data in a real-world population is needed. This study aims to analyze the survival status of MM patients with different treatment regimens along with its correlation to other parameters such as treatment-free interval (TFI) and time-to-next treatment (TTNT).

This was a retrospective observational study, done in the department of oncology, at a tertiary care hospital in Kerala, from August 2019 to July 2020, to analyze the survival data in patients diagnosed with MM from 2015 to 2019. The effectiveness endpoints include time-to-event analyses such as TTNT and TFI. After receiving various therapy regimens, the survival rates were analyzed; the Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to determine the cumulative survival. The correlations between overall survival (OS) and duration of therapy, TFI, TTNT, and other parameters were calculated using the Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient.

72 (82.80%) of the patients survived to the end of the study (OS), with a mean survival time of 4.02 ± 2.81 years. 52 (59.80%) patients had progression-free survival (PFS), while the remaining 35 (40.22%) had no significant disease prognosis. Both OS and PFS showed a significant positive correlation (P > 0.05) with TTNT and TFI.

Completely adherent chemotherapy for 1 year can promise a survival time not <2 years. Longer TFI resulted in better OS and PFS. Extending the duration of the second LOT correlated with the better OS and PFS.