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Abstract

Background: Multiple myeloma is a potentially fatal hematological malignancy characterized by clonal growth of terminally differentiated B cells. The development of novel medicines (proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory medications, antibodies targeting cell surface molecules, and autologous stem cell transplantation) has improved patients' quality of life and overall survival rate with multiple myeloma. Despite the advancement of these new therapies that help resolve disease progression and hence provide remission during the induction phase, some patients still relapse, and others die from the disease itself or treatmentrelated complications. Tanzania started treating patients with multiple myeloma using Melphalan and Prednisolone drug combinations more than 20 years ago. In 2017, a newer management protocol was implemented using MPT (Melphalan, Prednisolone, and thalidomide) and BTD (bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone) drug combinations. We have never evaluated our patient's responses and complications associated with using these drug combinations.Objective: To determine the complications and response to treatment regimens among multiple myeloma patients attended at Muhimbili National Hospital. Study population and methodology:A retrospective cohort study was carried out among patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma and managed at MNH from January 2017 to December 2020. A total of 177 medical records of patients from the registry of hematology patients at the medical record department of MNH and the Jeeva system were reviewed and analyzed. A systematic questionnaire was utilized to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. SPSS version 23 was used to perform statistical analysis on the data. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. To compare categorical data, Fisher's exact test was used. Continuous variables were analyzed using ANOVA for mean values and the Kruskal Wallis test for the median.