Prognosis of Patients With High-Risk Multiple Myeloma

Luca Bertamini, MD, a hematologist oncologist at the Università delgi Studi di Torino, discusses outcomes and prognosis for patients with high-risk multiple myeloma (MM).

According to Bertamini, outcomes for this patient group tend to be poor, especially for patients with high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities or high lactate dehydrogenase levels, according to the Revised International Staging System for MM. The progression-free survival estimate for this group is less than 3 years; the median is less than 5 years. According to Bertamini, the number of patients with high-risk MM are not insignificant, and efforts should be made to identify these patients earlier in order to provide them with more specified, targeted care.

There are potential ways to help identify patients who are at risk for higher-risk MM, said Bertamini. However, these identifiers and prognostic features are very rarely evaluated or routinely investigated, and more prognostic markers are needed. According to Bertamini, a first relapse of MM after less than 2 years of therapy could be a good indicator that the patient is more prone to a worse outcome. Currently, Bertamini is looking for new high-risk features in order to better identify these patients.