Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematologic malignancy requiring long-term, continuous therapy. Despite its chronic and unrelenting course, studies examining quality of life (QOL), psychological distress, and prognostic awareness by line of therapy are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, multi-site study of patients undergoing treatment for MM (excluding maintenance therapy) between 6/2020-1/2021. To capture the full spectrum of treatment, we conducted purposeful sampling and recruited patients to 3 cohorts based on lines of therapy: 1) newly diagnosed receiving first-line therapy; 2) 2-3 lines; and 3) ≥ 4 lines. Patients completed validated questionnaires to assess their QOL, symptom burden, fatigue, psychological distress, and perceptions of prognosis. We used multivariate linear regression models to examine the association between lines of therapy, QOL, psychological distress, with patient's perception of their prognosis.

Results: We enrolled 180 patients with MM (newly diagnosed (n=60), 2-3 lines (n=60), and ≥4 lines of therapy (n=60)). QOL and fatigue scores did not differ by lines of therapy: (QOL: 116.6 (SD=20.6) vs. 112.3 (SD=28.2) vs. 110.6 (SD=29.6); Fatigue: 36.9 (SD=9.9) vs. 35.4 (SD=11.9) vs. 33.7 (SD=12.5). There were also no statistically significant differences in depression, anxiety, or PTSD symptoms by line of therapy. The rate of clinically significant depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were 23.9% (43/180), 23.9% (43/180), and 24.4% (44/180), respectively. Overall, 84% (147/175) of patients reported that it is 'extremely' or 'very' important to know about their prognosis, and the majority (66.1%, 117/177) stated that they had received adequate information regarding their prognosis. Patients reported that prognostic information was 'extremely' or 'very' helpful in making decisions about treatment (93.4%, 155/166), coping with the disease (87.4%, 145/166), and preparing for the future (86.8%, 144/166). Most patients, 84.7% (149/176) reported that their oncologist told them their cancer was incurable but only 30.6% (53/173) acknowledged that they were terminally ill and only 42.0% (73/174) reported that they thought their cancer was incurable . Patients receiving 2-3 lines of therapy were more likely to acknowledge their terminal illness (36.7% vs. 19.6%, p=0.045) and that their MM was incurable (90.0% vs. 75.9%, p=0.047) compared to those receiving 1 st line therapy. QOL and psychological distress were not associated with patient's perception that their MM was incurable. However, patients who acknowledged their terminal illness reported higher depression (B=1.52, P = 0.009), anxiety (B=1.52, P=0.0037), symptom burden (B=7.42, P=0.007), and lower QOL (B=-14.78, p=0.001).

Conclusions: MM patients undergoing treatment experience impaired QOL and elevated psychological distress across the disease continuum, irrespective of their line of therapy. Although the majority reported that their oncologist had told them that their cancer is incurable, a substantial proportion still reported that they believed they were curable. Acknowledgement of terminal illness was associated with higher rates of psychological distress and symptoms burden and lower QOL. Interventions are needed to improve patients' QOL, reduce their psychological distress, and cultivate adaptive coping strategies that may help improve the patient experience over the MM disease course.

Disclosures

O'Donnell: Adaptive: Consultancy; Oncopeptide: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Bristol Myer Squibb: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy. Nadeem: Bristol Myer Squibb: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Yee: Adaptive: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Branagan: Sanofi-Genzyme: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BeiGene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive: Consultancy; CSL Behring: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Anderson: Scientific Founder of Oncopep and C4 Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi-Aventis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millenium-Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mana Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mo: Epizyme: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria; Eli Lilly: Consultancy; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Munshi: Oncopep: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Other: scientific founder, Patents & Royalties; Takeda: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Adaptive Biotechnology: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Ghobrial: AbbVie, Adaptive, Aptitude Health, BMS, Cellectar, Curio Science, Genetch, Janssen, Janssen Central American and Caribbean, Karyopharm, Medscape, Oncopeptides, Sanofi, Takeda, The Binding Site, GNS, GSK: Consultancy. Sperling: Adaptive: Consultancy. Richardson: AbbVie: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Protocol Intelligence: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Research Funding; Regeneron: Consultancy; Secura Bio: Consultancy; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Research Funding. Raje: Caribou: Other; Janssen: Other; bluebird bio: Other; Amgen: Other; Celgene: Other; BMS: Other.

© 2021 by The American Society of Hematology
2021
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