Abstract
Introduction: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable disease. In young patients, autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) remains a cornerstone treatment after induction therapy. Induction therapy has varied during time, from alkylating polychemotherapy (VBAD,VCMP) or VAD chemotherapy (AVAD) to Velcade-Dexametasone based regimens (VD). We present results of follow-up of a large cohort of patients treated with ABMT. We described overall survival (OS; from transplant to death by any cause) and progression free survival (PFS; from transplant to death by any case or progressive disease defined by reappearance by inmunofixation, or duplication of monoclonal peak after ABMT) , and the impact of induction therapy regiments.
Patients: 183 patients transplanted from 2002 to 2017. The median age of the patients was 59 years (33-72). Before 2008 all the patients were treated in alkylating based chemotherapy (42 patients). After 2008 patients were treated with VD based regimens (141patients). Only 12 patients received maintenance therapy based in PETHEMA trials 2005 and 2012. No one patient received a planed second transplant; only 32 patients received a second transplant after relapse as consolidation therapy.
Results: Median follow-up of patients still alive is 3.65 years (0.15-14.77). Median OS of all patients was 9.12 years (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.28-NR); Median PFS was 3.02 years(95% CI: 2.46-3.76). At 13 years only 2% of patients remains progression free (CI: 0.00-17%). There were significant differences between patients treated before and after VD regimens. The median OS of patients treated with APVAD was significantly shorter compared to VD (6.22 years, CI[3.39-12] vs. NR, CI[6.28-NR], p=0.025) (HR=0.49, p=0.01).
Conclusions: VD schemes of induction before ABMT have improved remarkably OS inpatients with Myeloma; nonetheless, plateau is not observed in EFS. Further analysis must address if EFS could represent a strong indicator of OS, mainly due to novel effective salvage therapies after relapse/refractoriness could be a confounding factor.
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Author notes
Asterisk with author names denotes non-ASH members.
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