Introduction/background: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell derived clonal disorder that represents around 1% of all newly diagnosed neoplasms. Limited data regarding MM treatment in Latin America is available, and access to novel agents for a substantial portion of the population is limited by their high costs.
Materials (or patients) and methods: RENEHOC is a bidirectional (retrospective and prospective) multicenter observational registry of hematological malignancies in Colombia. MM patients included up to July 2020 were analyzed on this report.
Results: 890 are reported with a median follow-up of 18 months (IQR: 7-42 months). Patients were classified by age group (≤ or > 65 years). Median age at diagnosis was 67 years (IQR: 59-75 years) and 47.1% of patients were women. 709 patients (79.6%) received Bortezomib-based schemes as part of the first line. Two hundred and fifty-two patients (28.3%) were consolidated with Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT) in first-line. ASCT consolidation and age were the main independent factors influencing outcomes; in the non-ASCT cohort, 5-year overall survival was 48.7% (CI 41.8-55.2) compared to 80.7% (CI 73-86.4) in ASCT patients.
Conclusion: This data depicts the reality of MM in Colombia, which likely reflects other Latin American countries, where access barriers to diagnosis and treatment are echoed in advanced stage diagnosis and a low rate of transplants. These seem to negatively impact survival despite the availability of most novel drugs approved for this disease. Thus, emphasizing the paradox that prevails in most of the region: availability without equitable access.
Keywords: Autologous transplantation; Diagnosis; Disease registry; Latin America; Therapy.
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.