A Cross-sectional Exploratory Study on Symptom Correlations in Multiple Myeloma Patients During Initial Treatment...

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-Revised (ESAS-r) is a simple, reliable, patient-reported outcome measure designed to assess nine symptoms experienced by cancer patients, including multiple myeloma (MM). While each symptom can be evaluated individually, limitations in time or resources may make it difficult to assess all items in routine practice. In such cases, asking about "well-being," the simplest and most general item in the ESAS-r, may still provide clinically meaningful insight into a patient's overall condition. Although "well-being" is an essential indicator of a patient's overall health, its correlation with the other eight symptoms remains poorly understood. In this hypothesis-generating cross-sectional study, we aimed to understand the symptoms of MM patients during initial treatment using the ESAS-r and analyzed the relationship between the patient's "well-being" and each symptom. The study included 36 patients with first-episode MM who had started induction therapy with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone. "Well-being" was found to be correlated with pain (rs=0.711) and anxiety (rs=0.638). In addition, pain (p=0.0053) and anxiety (p=0.0336) were also significantly associated with the clinical cutoff value. The findings of this study indicate that focusing on "well-being" can increase the likelihood of early intervention in MM patients for symptoms that are difficult to express, such as pain and anxiety. Thorough screening of "well-being" and early introduction of care as needed, even within the limited time of consultation, through multidisciplinary collaboration including pharmacists, may be significant in terms of improving the quality of life of MM patients.