Adolescents and Young Adults with Multiple Myeloma, Kuwait Experience

Background

Multiple myeloma MM is an incurable plasma cell malignancy with a median age of 65 years at diagnosis worldwide, a small number of publications were focused on young adult Multiple myeloma MM with special characteristics and clinical outcomes.

Objectives

To evaluate the incidence of MM among adolescent and young adults (AYA) in Kuwait aged 40 and below. Also, to describe the clinical characteristics, high risk features and treatment outcomes at the Kuwait Cancer Control Centre (KCCC).

Materials & Methods

We collected data retrospectively from the hematological malignancy registry at KCCC and looked at AYA patients (pts) with a confirmed diagnosis of Multiple myeloma at our center from 2015 till 2022, we looked at age of onset, gender, nationality, year of myeloma diagnosis, presence of extramedullary disease, International Staging System score (ISS score), cytogenetic aberrations, induction therapy, receipts of auto-transplant and maintenance therapy.

Results

From 2015 till 2022, 340 patients were diagnosed with MM in Kuwait, eleven patients were found 40 years old or younger, only one was female patients, the median age was 35 years old, around a third were Kuwaiti, 73% were non-Kuwaiti of middle eastern background, 4 patients were found to have extramedullary disease at diagnosis, with advanced stage ISS III found in 3/9 pts. One patient was found with 1Q gain and the rest of the 10 patients were with negative del17p, t (4,14), t(14,16), gain1q and t(11,14). Of note, interphase FISH cytogenetic is not done with CD138 selection. Six patients were treated with RVD induction (Lenalidomide, Bortizomib, Dexamethasone), two patients treated by CTD (Cyclophosphamide, Thalidomide, Dexamethasone), one pt treated by VCD (Bortizomib,Cyclophosphamide,Dexamethasone), one patient treated by Daratumumab RVD, and one patient treated by VTD. Overall response rate (ORR) was 90.9%, (10/11) responded patients proceeded to HDCT/ASCT and all these patients went on maintenance post-transplant, two patients were lost to follow up while 9 patients still under follow up, median follow up 33 months, one pt had a relapse after transplant.

Conclusion

MM is an uncommon disease among AYA in Kuwait (3.2%) of all myeloma patients, with favorable durable responses in this group of patients.