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Updated: Jul 20, 2025

An Organotypic High Throughput System for Characterization of Drug Sensitivity of Primary Multiple Myeloma Cells
Published on: July 15, 2015
Real-World Health Care Services Utilization Associated With the Management of Patients With Relapsed and Refractory
Enrique M Ocio1, Carmen Montes-Gaisán1, Gabriela Bustamante2
1Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla (IDIVAL), Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
Background:
Most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) relapse or become refractory, resulting in high health care costs. However, real-world data regarding the utilization of health care services among the relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) population are scarce.
Methods:
Observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study of the utilization of health care services by RRMM patients who had relapsed within the previous 6 months in Spain in a real-world setting. Data were collected from the clinical records and during a single structured interview and included sociodemographic and clinical characteristics at last relapse, the treatment and health care services nature, and were presented using descriptive statistics.
Results:
The 276 patients enrolled (53.3% males), with a mean [SD] age of 67.4 [10.5] years, had experienced their most recent relapse a median (IQR) of 1.61 (0.74, 3.14) months before entering the study. Patients lived a median (IQR) of 9.0 (3.0, 30.0) km away from the hospital and visited the hospital a median (IQR) of 3.0 (2.0, 5.0) times/month to receive treatment for their most recent relapse. They spent a median (IQR) of 15.84 (5.0, 42.0) euros/month on transportation. Since their most recent relapse, most patients had been admitted to a hospital unit (n = 155, 56.2%), had required ≥1 diagnostic tests (n = 227, 82.2%), and had consulted the hematologist (n = 270, 97.8%) a mean (SD) of 5.5 (5.4) times. In half of the visits, patients were accompanied by an actively working caregiver (n = 112, 54.4%).
Conclusions:
RRMM treatments are associated with a high utilization of health care services and pose a significant burden for patients and caregivers.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT03188536.
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