BACKGROUND: Recently, improvement in overall survival (OS) was demonstrated in elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Our aim here was to analyze treatment outcomes in elderly Chinese patients with MM in real-world practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 122 newly diagnosed MM patients ages 65–84 between January 2007 and December 2015 in a single hematology department.

RESULTS: The median age of patients was 70.5 years. The median OS period of the entire cohort was 33 months; the 5-year OS estimate was 30.4%. The median OS of the 65–69, 70–74, and ≥75 years old groups were 43, 36, and 6 months, respectively. Female patients had better OS than male patients (40 and 28 months, P=0.026). Patients who received short-course bortezomib-containing regimens during their course of disease had a significantly longer median OS of 37 months compared with 28 months for patients without bortezomib treatment (P=0.029). Patients with age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (aaCCI) <5 showed longer median OS compared to those with aaCCI ³5 (45 months vs. 23 months, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex, high aaCCI, and LDH were independent prognostic factor for OS.

CONCLUSIONS: The marked survival improvement in the elderly patients was associated with the increased use of short-course bortezomib. CCI and LDH are important clinical prognostic factors for survival in elderly MM patients.

Keywords: Comorbidity, Multiple Myeloma