Trends in overall survival and costs of multiple myeloma, 2000–2014

Abstract

Little real-world evidence is available to describe the recent trends in treatment costs and outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Using the Truven Health MarketScan Research Databases linked with social security administration death records, this study found that the percentage of MM patients using novel therapy continuously increased from 8.7% in 2000 to 61.3% in 2014. Compared with MM patients diagnosed in earlier years, those diagnosed after 2010 had higher rates of novel therapy use and better survival outcomes; patients diagnosed in 2012 were 1.25 times more likely to survive 2 years than those diagnosed in 2006. MM patients showed improved survival over the study period, with the 2-year survival gap between MM patients and matched controls decreasing at a rate of 3% per year. Total costs among MM patients have increased in all healthcare services over the years; however, the relative contribution of drug costs has remained fairly stable since 2009 despite new novel therapies coming to market. Findings from this study corroborate clinical data, suggesting a paradigm shift in MM treatment over the past decade that is associated with substantial survival gains. Future studies should focus on the impact on specific novel agents on patients’ outcomes.

Model‐Based Meta‐Analysis for Multiple Myeloma: A Quantitative Drug‐Independent Framework for Efficient Decisions in Oncology Drug Development

“…Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy, accounting for an estimated 1.8% of all cancer diagnoses and 2.1% of deaths from cancer in the United States in 2017 . Despite recent advances in patient outcomes, including significant improvements in overall survival (OS) following the introduction and increasing use of novel therapies, MM remains a generally incurable disease, characterized by multiple relapses and substantial burdens on patients and caregivers . Thus, there is an ongoing unmet need for additional novel treatment options that will extend patients’ progression‐free survival (PFS) within a specific line of therapy, as well as their OS.…”

Plasma cell diseases and organ transplant: A comprehensive review

“…is needed to evaluate for an active plasma cell disease, based on current guidelines Multiple myeloma (MM) is the most common plasma cell neoplasm, classically characterized by the "CRAB" criteria (hypercalcemia, renal failure, anemia, bone lesions). In fact, the survival of MM patients is now similar to that of otherwise similar patients without MM 25. From 1975 to 1977, the 5-yearsurvival rate was only 25%, whereas more recently, from 2005 to 2011, the 5-year survival rate has improved to 49% 24.…”

Multiple myeloma epidemiology and patient geographic distribution in Canada: A population study

“…In the United States, age‐adjusted incidence and mortality rates were found to be 67 cases and 33 deaths per million individuals per year, respectively, on the basis of 2011‐2015 data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database, with comparable numbers seen in Europe and Canada . Although MM remains highly fatal, there has been a global trend of marked improvement in 5‐year relative survival rates across all patient ages and ethnicities . This reduction in mortality has been attributed to the introduction of autologous stem cell transplantations in the mid‐1990s and other novel therapeutics in the mid‐2000s, such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib …”

“…Although MM remains highly fatal, there has been a global trend of marked improvement in 5‐year relative survival rates across all patient ages and ethnicities . This reduction in mortality has been attributed to the introduction of autologous stem cell transplantations in the mid‐1990s and other novel therapeutics in the mid‐2000s, such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib …”