Strouse, Christopher

Background: QOL can be affected by disease burden, side effects of treatment, and psychosocial effects of living with cancer. Although MZL is considered incurable, we previously found that patients diagnosed from 2002-2015 had a good QOL both at baseline (BL) and the first decade after diagnosis, regardless of treatment choice (Bommier et al., submitted). Here, we evaluate whether these findings can be extended to the 2015-2020 treatment era and a more diverse US cohort. Methods: Adults with newly diagnosed MZL from 8 academic centers were prospectively enrolled within 6 months of diagnosis from 2015-2020 in the LEO cohort (NCT02736357). Participants were actively followed for disease progression/relapse, retreatment and death. QOL was measured at BL, and at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years after diagnosis using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lymphoma (FACT-Lym) scale (range 0-164), which consists of the FACT-General (FACT-G, range 0-104) plus a lymphoma-specific scale (range 0-60). Total FACT-G measures 4 QOL domains (range): physical (0-28), social/family (0-28), emotional (0-24), and functional (0-28) well-being (WB). We also used the Trial Outcome Index (TOI; range 0-112), which consists of FACT-G physical and functional WB plus the lymphoma-specific scale and is commonly used as an endpoint in treatment trials. All MZL patients with both BL and at least one follow-up QOL questionnaire were eligible for analysis. Patients were grouped by initial management: active surveillance (observation), local/antibiotic therapy (radiation, surgery, or anti- H. pylori therapy), or systemic therapy (chemotherapy, targeted agents, or antibody therapy). Change in QOL scores over time was analyzed using mixed models for repeated measurements, and initial treatment groups were compared. Results: Of 384 patients, 60% were female, 91% were White, 6.6% were Black/African American, and 13% were Hispanic (all races). The median age was 64 years (range 19-94). For initial management, 28% (N=106) were observed, 31% (N=118) received local/antibiotic therapy, and 42% (N=160) received systemic therapy. Across treatment groups, there were no significant differences by age, gender, race, or performance status, while there were differences by Hispanic ethnicity (p=0.006), Ann Arbor stage (p<0.001) and MALT-IPI score (p<0.001) (Table). At BL, patients receiving systemic therapy had lower physical WB (p=0.008), emotional WB (p=0.04), functional WB (p=0.03), FACT-G total score (p=0.008), lymphoma subscale (p<0.001), FACT-Lym (p=0.001) and TOI (p<0.001) compared to observation and local/antibiotic therapy (Table). While FACT-G total scores were largely stable through 5 years after diagnosis, social/family WB declined from BL for patients initially receiving either local/antibiotic therapy (mean at 1-year -1.4, p<0.05; 2-year -2.1, p<0.05; 3-year -1.6, p<0.05; 5-year-2.9, p<0.05) or systemic therapy (mean at 2-year -1.2 , p<0.05; 3-year -1.4, p<0.05; and 5-year -1.2, p<0.05), while this was stable for observed patients. In patients receiving initial systemic therapy, there was a transient improvement in the lymphoma-specific scale (mean +1.7, p<0.05) and TOI (mean +3.7, p<0.05). Otherwise, QOL remained stable over time and global QoL (FACT-G, FACT-Lym), TOI, Lymphoma-specific scale (Figure), and the other FACT-G subscales (physical, emotional, or functional WB) did not differ by initial treatment strategy. Conclusions: In the diverse LEO cohort from the recent treatment era, we confirm our prior findings for newly diagnosed MZL patients that QOL is globally stable over the first 5 years after diagnosis; emotional WB is not associated with initial treatment type, providing evidence that being initially observed does not negatively impact emotional health; and there is a decline in social/family WB (support from friends and family, family acceptance of illness, family communication, close to partner), which supports the need to consider interventions for patients to address these unmet needs. In addition, this study extends these findings to the lymphoma-specific scale, FACT-Lym, and TOI, which all showing largely stable trends in the 5 years after diagnosis and suggest that recent MZL treatment strategies, including systemic therapies, neither impair nor improve QOL.

Background: Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL) is considered indolent but incurable, with a variety of initial treatment strategies including observation. Quality of life (QOL) can be affected by disease burden, side effects of treatment, and psychosocial effects of living with an incurable cancer. However, little is known about long-term QOL in patients with MZL. We investigated QOL at baseline (BL), and up to nine years after a diagnosis of MZL. Methods: Newly diagnosed MZL patients aged 18 years and older were prospectively enrolled within 9 months of diagnosis in the Iowa/Mayo Clinic Molecular Epidemiology Resource from 9/2002 - 6/2015. Pathology was reviewed by a hematopathologist. All MZL participants with both BL and at least one follow-up (FU) QOL questionnaire were eligible for this analysis. QOL was measured at BL and years 1-, 2-, 3-, 6- and 9-year FU with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale (range 0-108), which measures 4 QOL domains (range): physical (0-28), social/family (0-28), emotional (0-24), and functional (0-28) well-being (WB). Clinical data were abstracted according to a standard protocol and patients were systematically followed for events (progression, re-treatment, and death). Patients were grouped into initial management with active surveillance (observation), local/antibiotic therapy (including radiation, surgery, and anti- H. pylori therapy), or systemic therapy (including chemotherapy, targeted agents, or antibody therapy). Change in QOL scores over time was analyzed using mixed models for repeated measurements, and comparisons were made according to initial treatment group. Results: Of 324 participants in the analysis, 59% were female, 98% were White and the median age was 63 years. For initial management, 36% (N=118) were observed, 30% (N=96) received local/antibiotic therapy and 34% (N=110) received systemic therapy. Across the initial treatment groups, there were no statistically significant differences by age, gender, or performance status, while there were differences for Ann Arbor Stage IV (observation 50%, local/antibiotic 27%, systemic 67%, p<0.001) and MALT-IPI score 2+ (observation 23%, local/antibiotic 18%, systemic 28%, p<0.001). At BL, mean FACT-G total score was 85.7 (SD 13.1), and physical, social/family, emotional, and functional WB scores were 20.3 (SD 4.2), 24.4 (SD 3.9), 18.9 (SD 3.5), 22.1 (SD 5.3); these scores were similar across initial treatment groups (all p>0.05). FACT-G total score was largely stable over time by treatment group (Panel 1). However, it declined at years 6 (mean -4.0, p<0.05) and 9 (mean -3.7, p<0.05) in the observation group (Panel 2), driven by a decline in functional WB, although this change was not significantly different from the other treatment groups. Further, in comparison with other treatment groups, local therapy was associated with a short-term 1-year improvement of FACT-G total score (mean +2.8, p=0.04), driven by improvements in both functional and emotional WB. For the subscales, we identified two major trends irrespective of treatment group: an overall improvement from BL of emotional WB at years 1 (mean +0.6, p<0.05), 2 (mean +0.7, p<0.05), 3 (+1.3, p<0.05), 6 (+1, p<0.05), and 9 (+1.3, p<0.05) and an overall decline of social/family WB at years 1 (mean -1.1, p<0.05), 2 (mean -1.7, p<0.05), 3 (-2.1, p<0.05), 6 (-2.7, p<0.05), and 9 (-2.2, p<0.05). There was no notable change from BL for physical or functional WB. Conclusions: This analysis is the first to provide prospective real-world QOL data on a longitudinal cohort of MZL patients with long follow-up. At BL, initial treatment was associated with stage and MALT-IPI score, but not QOL. Except for the transient 1-year QOL improvement in patients under local/antibiotic therapy, initial treatment groups had no impact on QOL over time. Irrespective of treatment group, emotional WB showed improvement over time, suggesting psychosocial adaptation by the patient, as it was found in aggressive lymphomas (Thompson et al., 2018). Further, emotional WB over time did not vary across treatment groups, suggesting that being initially observed did not lead to more emotional stress than being actively treated. Finally, decline in social/family WB (support from friends, family, family acceptance of illness, family communication, close to partner) suggests a need to consider interventions to patients and families to address these needs.

Introduction: The treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has evolved over the past two decades, from finite duration chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) to an era of targeted agents such as Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitors, BCL2 inhibitors, and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. Little is known about how initial management strategy (watch and wait [W&W] vs. treatment) at diagnosis impacts patient reported outcomes (PROs) in CLL survivors over time, particularly in light of therapeutic advances over the last decade. Methods: Newly diagnosed CLL patients were prospectively enrolled within 9 months of diagnosis in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER1) study between 9/1/02 and 6/30/15, and within 6 months of diagnosis in the MER Phase 2 (MER2) study between 7/1/15 and 5/1/20. PROs were measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scale (FACT-G), which generates Physical (PWB, range 0-28), Social/Family (SFWB, 0-28), Emotional (EWB, 0-24), and Functional Well-Being (FWB, 0-28) scores and a Total Score (0-108), with higher scores indicating better WB. In both cohorts, FACT-G was measured at enrollment and at years 1, 2, and 3 after diagnosis, while the timing of later assessments varied slightly by study (MER1: 6 yrs and 9 yrs; MER2: 5 years). We employed a generalized linear mixed model to evaluate change from baseline between groups with groups defined by each participant's initial management strategy (W&W vs. upfront systemic treatment). Initial management strategy was determined by the treating physician. The study was approved by the Mayo Clinic IRB. Results: A total of 722 patients were identified in MER1 and 256 patients in MER2. The median age at diagnosis was 63 years in MER1 and 66 years in MER2 (P<0.05); 66% were male in MER1 and 68% were male in MER2 (P>0.05). More patients initiated upfront systemic therapy in MER1 (n=380, 53%) than in MER2 (n=110, 43%). Other baseline clinical characteristics were similar between the cohorts ( Table 1). There was no statistical difference in the mean FACT-G total score at baseline between MER1 (85.0, SD 12.5) and MER2 (85.2, SD 12.7). In the MER1 cohort, statistically significant lower baseline QOL scores were observed in patients initiating upfront treatment compared to W&W on the FACT-G total score (P=0.002) as well as the PWB (P=0.01), EWB (P=0.03), and FWB (P=0.006) subscales. We also observed that over time, EWB and FWB scores were consistently lower amongst those treated upfront compared to W&W. Further, EWB scores steadily improved over time regardless of initial management ( Figure 1), whereas the FWB and PWB subscales were largely stable over time. Mean SFWB scores dropped amongst patients who received upfront therapy at 3 years, which then steadily improved through year 9 but did not recover back to baseline. SFWB scores were stable among W&W patients. In the MER2 cohort, no statistically significant differences in any of the baseline QOL scores were noted between the W&W vs. initial treatment groups. Despite this, we observed consistently lower mean EWB scores among patients who initiated upfront treatment compared to W&W pts over time. No other statistically significant differences in mean QOL scores over time were observed between groups. Similar to MER1, we did observe a drop in mean SFWB scores amongst patients initiating upfront therapy at 3 years of follow-up that remained decreased at year 5. Conclusion: This is the largest longitudinal study of CLL survivors that spanned over 18 years and two treatment eras. We demonstrated that in the novel treatment era, QOL metrics were similar between initial management strategies (W&W vs. treatment), suggesting that initial management had little to no impact on QOL at baseline or over time. In contrast, in the CIT era, we observed differences in QOL metrics at baseline between groups. In both treatment eras, patients with CLL who required upfront therapy demonstrated a decrease in SFWB from baseline at year 3 of follow-up, and the mean EWB scores were lowest at baseline regardless of initial management strategy (W&W vs. upfront treatment) or treatment era (CIT vs. novel agents), but steadily improved over time. These findings suggest opportunities for interventions to improve QOL in patients with CLL, and additional analyses are ongoing. Further follow-up in the era of novel agents is needed.

Background: Understanding the symptoms and quality of life (QOL) over time of adults with follicular lymphoma (FL) is important for treatment decision-making and clinical management. However, there are limited population-level data on the long-term QOL of adults with FL. We aim to describe the real-world, long-term QOL of adults with newly diagnosed FL up to 5/6 years after diagnosis. Methods: We used the Mayo Clinic/Iowa Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) and the multi-institutional Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) to identify adults with grade 1-3A FL who completed QOL surveys at baseline and follow-up. Participants with lymphoma were prospectively enrolled within 9 months of diagnosis in the MER cohort from 2002-2015 and within 6 months of diagnosis in the multi-institutional LEO cohort study across 8 cancer centers from 2015-2020. The LEO/MER cohort studies systematically collected information on disease status, QOL, health behaviors, and functional assessment. Treatments, disease relapses, and deaths were verified by medical record review. Treating physicians determined clinical management. QOL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) at years 1, 2, 3, and 5/6 post-diagnosis. A higher FACT-G total score (range 0-108) indicated better QOL across 4 subscales (range): physical (0-28), social/family (0-28), emotional (0-24), and functional (0-28) well-being. We categorized participants based on their frontline management at time of diagnosis: “observation” (surveillance), “treatment” (systemic treatment with immunotherapy +/- chemotherapy), and “local” (radiation) groups. We employed a generalized linear mixed model to evaluate and compare the changes in QOL scores (as a continuous variable) from baseline for the observation, treatment, and local groups, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, age, FLIPI risk, and cohort (i.e., LEO or MER). We also evaluated QOL changes by FLIPI risk. Results: Our study included 1,544 participants with FL and QOL data. At the time of enrollment, median age was 61 years (range 19-91), 88% were non-Hispanic White, and 49% were female. Based on initial management, 529 (34%) were in the observation group, 880 (57%) were in the treatment group, and 135 (9%) were in the local group. FLIPI risk was high for 17% in the observation group, 29.3% in the treatment group, and 3% in the local group. The mean (standard deviation) baseline FACT-G total score was lowest in the treatment group with the following baseline scores: 86 (13) for the observation group, 83 (14) for the treatment group, and 88 (12) for the local group (Table 1). The observation and local groups reported a greater worsening of their baseline FACT-G total score vs the treatment group at both the 2-year (-1.2, -0.8 vs +1.8, respectively) and 5/6 year (-5.4, -6 vs. -1.6, respectively) timepoints (Figure 1). This appeared to be driven by worsened physical and functional well-being in the observation (-1.3, -2.2, respectively) and local (-0.9, -2.4, respectively) groups vs the treatment group (0, -0.3, respectively). These differences were statistically significant between the observation vs treatment groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the other subscales, i.e., social/family and emotional well-being, by frontline management. Social/family well-being decreased across all groups by 5/6 years (-2.3 in observation, -2.2 in treatment, and -3 in local, p<0.05). Regardless of FLIPI risk, the total FACT-G scores decreased within each FLIPI risk group at 5/6 years (-4.4 for low, -3.8 for intermediate, and -4.9 for high, p<0.05). This was primarily due to worsened social/family well-being (-2.4 for low, -2.2 for intermediate, and -3 for high, p<0.05) at 5/6 years. There was no statistically significant difference in QOL between FLIPI risk groups. Conclusion: This is one of the first and largest studies with real-world longitudinal QOL data for FL. Our study suggests that frontline systemic treatment initially improved QOL and resulted in a lower degree of QOL decline over time. Social/family well-being decreased over time regardless of frontline management or FLIPI risk. Further research is warranted to explore the impact of timing and specific systemic treatments on QOL, incorporate the patient/caregiver experience to address social/family well-being, and identify the clinical significance of our findings.

Background: Autologous CAR-T therapy targeting CD19 is an effective treatment for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). However, morbidity and mortality related to CAR-T toxicity remain significant concerns. This study aims to evaluate the patterns, risk factors, and implications of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) following CD19-CAR-T therapy in LBCL. Methods: This retrospective analysis includes 1916 LBCL patients treated with CD19-CAR-T cell therapy (axicabtagene-ciloleucel [axi-cel] 75% and tisagenlecleucel 25%) between 2018 and 2020 and reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Patient demographics, baseline characteristics, treatment-related variables, and clinical outcomes were collected. The incidence, severity and timing of onset of CRS and ICANS (according to median time to onset) were analyzed, factors associated with these outcomes and their impact on overall survival as time dependent covariates were done using Cox Regression multivariate analyses. Results: The median age of the patients was 64 years, with a majority having a Karnofsky performance status (KPS) below 90% (61%) and not receiving bridging therapy (67%). CRS was observed in 75.1% of patients, with 9% experiencing severe CRS (grades ≥ 3). Similarly, 43% of patients experienced ICANS, with 20% having severe ICANS (grade ≥ 3). The median time to toxicity was shorter for CRS (4 days) compared to ICANS (7 days). Nearly all the patients who developed ICANS also experienced CRS (98%; ), and the correlation between these two events and respective severities are shown in the Figure 1a. In the multivariate analyses, factors associated with development of CRS were gender (women, Odds ratio [OR] 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10- 1.76, p=0.006), high LDH at time of infusion (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.22 - 2.00, p=0.002) and product (axi-cel OR 4.60, 95% CI 3.56 -5.81, p<0.001). Factors associated with the development of ICANS included age (> 65 years, OR 1.83; 1.50-2.24, p<0.001), KPS (<80%, OR 2.48; 1.88-3.27, p<0.001), disease status at infusion (treatment resistant disease, OR 1.98; 1.09-3.58, p=0.024; and untreated relapse OR 2.62, 1.35-5.10, p=0.004) and product (axi-cel, OR 5.85; 4.47-7.64, p<0.0001). Factors associated with severe and early onset CRS and ICANS are listed in the table below. The median follow-up of 14.2 months, the estimated 12-month overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and treatment-related mortality were 61.6% (95% CI: 59.4-63.9), 42.2% (39.9-44.5), and 4.3% (3.4-5.3), respectively. Overall CRS, early onset CRS and overall ICANS were not associated with higher mortality, however grade >3 CRS (HR 1.79; 1.41-2.28, p<0.001), grade >3 ICANS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.34; 95% CI 1.13-1.59, p=0.002) and early onset ICANS (<7 days, HR 1.23; 1.05-1.44, p=0.01) were associated with higher mortality. The impact of severe CRS on survival are shown in the landmark analysis at 30 days from infusion in the figure 1B. Conclusion: In the largest analysis of CD19-CAR-T cell therapy toxicities to date, we observed a high burden of CRS and ICANS among LBCL patients. The CAR T cell product type was consistently associated with higher incidence, shorter onset and higher severity of both toxicities. High LDH, older age and low performance score also influence the severity and onset of these outcomes. Additionally, patients who developed higher grades of CRS/ICANS and earlier onset ICANS had a higher mortality, stressing the need to develop novel strategies to mitigate the incidence and optimize management of these patients to improve their outcomes.

Introduction Public reporting of outcomes drives healthcare improvement in many fields, including hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), although with possible unintended consequences. The Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) publishes an annual Center-Specific Survival Analysis (CSA), which compares HCT centers' observed 1-year overall survival (OS) with their statistically modeled expected 1-year OS, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Centers with OS within their 95% CI receive a 0 score, indicating as expected outcomes. Those with OS below / above their 95% CI receive a -1 / +1 score, indicating below / above expected OS, respectively. After a -1 report, centers may change their patient selection criteria, causing unintentional systematic exclusion of patient populations who could benefit from HCT. We analyzed how the CSA report influences patient selection practices among centers receiving a -1 score. Methods Centers receiving a -1 report between 2012 and 2016 that had ‘as expected’ survival in the preceding 2 years were classified as newly below expected OS centers (NBCs). The year of their -1 report was used as the index year. Centers with ‘as expected’ OS in the 3 years before and after each index year were identified as control centers, reflecting expected evolution of patient selection in the HCT field. The patient population variables analyzed are shown in Table 1. The difference in patient population characteristics in the 3 years before vs the 3 years after the index years defined the change in patient selection behavior at the NBCs and the controls. A multivariate model adjusting for baseline patient population characteristics and center size was used to compare the change in patient population from before and after the index year in the NBCs and that of the controls. The difference in differences (ΔinΔ) were calculated as ΔNBC - ΔControl. A significance threshold of p<0.01 was used to account for multiple testing. Results After adjusting for overall trends, center size, and baseline patient population characteristics, no differences in patient selection behavior meeting the pre-specified threshold for statistical significance were identified when comparing the NBCs (n=24 centers) with the controls (n=195 centers). In the 3 years following the index years, 4,150 and 25,013 patients were transplanted at NBCs and controls, respectively. The proportion of patients receiving reduced intensity or non-myeloablative conditioning regimens decreased 4.1% in NBCs and increased 5.0% in controls, for a net difference of -9.1% (95% CI: -16.7% to -1.6%, p=0.02). All other patient characteristic proportions changed in the same direction at NBCs and controls, albeit to varying degrees (Table 1). In some high-risk characteristics, (e.g. HCT-CI > 3), a greater increase was seen at NBCs vs controls (ΔinΔ 2.1% 95% CI: -2.8% to 6.9%, p=0.40). In others, (e.g. age 60+ years), a greater increase was seen at controls vs NBCs (ΔinΔ -2.6% 95% CI: -5.9% to 0.7%, p=0.12). To capture a holistic measure of centers' patient population risk, the predicted 1-year survival was compared in the NBCs vs controls using the logistic regression model generated for each year's CSA. The predicted OS increased by 3.08% and 3.30% in the NBCs and controls respectively, with no statistically significant difference (-0.23%, 95% CI: -1.4% to 0.9%, p=0.70, Figure 1). The observed overall survival (adjusted for predicted 1 year OS) also increased in both BECs and controls by 0.9% and 4.5% respectively, without statistically significant difference (-3.6%, 95% CI: -6.7% to -0.7%, p=0.02). Discussion For centers receiving a -1 report, no statistically significant changes were seen in patient population characteristics in the following 3 years when compared to centers with OS was as expected. There was variability in the changes in high-risk patient characteristics at the NBCs relative to the controls, and in some cases more patients with high-risk characteristics were selected at these centers compared to those at controls. The change in predicted overall survival at 1 year, a summary indicator of survival risk, was similar between BECs and control centers. Although the number of patients in centers with below expected OS was small, these findings suggest the public reporting of outcomes in HCT in the US does not unintentionally affect access to HCT for high-risk patients at NBCs.

Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal plasma cell malignancy and is the second most common type of hematologic cancer worldwide. Treatment options for MM have evolved in the last two decades with the introduction of novel therapeutic agents such as immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), proteasome inhibitors (PI), anti-CD-38 monoclonal antibodies (anti-CD38 MoAb), and recently BCMA-directed therapies (BDT). The variable access globally, especially for novel agents, has been a concern. We aim to study the global availability of 14 chemoimmunotherapy options in addition to autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) which is approved in the US (excluding BDT due to limited availability), to identify regions with restricted access and analyze the main barriers to access. Methods A global cohort of oncologists outside the USA who treat MM participated in an online survey to evaluate the patterns of accessibility of MM therapies worldwide. The survey, conducted in collaboration with the US Myeloma Innovations Research Collaborative (USMIRC), was sent electronically to 176 oncologists worldwide (outside the US) from June 18th, 2023, to July 17th, 2023. It included questions on demographics, access, and perceived barriers. The respondents chose a response for each therapy as being “easily accessible”, “moderately accessible,” “not readily accessible” or “no access”. Countries were then classified as having “adequate access” if 80-100% of respondents affirmed easy/moderately easy access, while <30% were considered “limited access”, 60-79% were “high-intermediate access” and 30-59% were “low-intermediate access”. We classified countries into low- and high-income (LIC and HIC) based on the United Nations (UN) World Economic Classifications based on per capita gross national income (GNI). Means were calculated for regions of interest. An interim analysis is reported. Results Demographics: Ninety-Five (54%) oncologists from 33 countries completed the survey. Most were from Asia (56%). Others were Europe (19%), South America (12%), Africa (7%), Oceania (3%), and North America (Canada and Mexico, excluding the US) (3%). Only 17% specialized in plasma cell disorders; 50.5% were affiliated with university academic centers; 18% with private or community practices; 12% with community academic centers; and 17% were hybrid. Public-funded centers represented 61.1%, while 76% were transplant centers. Global Patterns: Most countries had adequate access to chemotherapies, IMiDs, PIs, Anti-CD38, MoAbs, and ASCT (Figure 1). Notably, ixazomib, isatuximab, and selinexor had low intermediate access, while elotuzumab had limited access. Access by Income: Most MM therapies were available in LIC and HIC. Of the therapies listed, 6 were adequately available in LIC and HIC: cyclophosphamide, lenalidomide, pomalidomide, daratumumab, bortezomib, and ASCT (Table 1). Elotuzumab and selinexor were limited in both LIC and HIC. Ixazomib and isatuximab were also limited in LIC but were low-intermediate in HIC. Access by Continent: Out of the 14 therapies, Europe had adequate or high-intermediate access to most modalities (12), followed by Oceania and Asia (10), and South America (9). North America and Africa had the lowest number of adequate or high intermediate access therapies (7) (Table 1). Barriers: The most common reason cited for limited access to MM therapies globally was the financial burden for the healthcare system, followed by limitations in local agency approval, inadequate chemotherapy suite resources, and inadequate staffing. Conclusion While most therapies were available, novel therapies such as isatuximab, ixazomib, selinexor, and elotuzumab were less readily accessible. Moreover, North America and Africa had the least access to therapies. This is likely because LIC and HIC have prioritized access to treatments with the best evidence of cost-effectiveness, while those with lower cost-effectiveness are generally limited. The financial burden on healthcare is a major limiting factor. USMIRC plans to investigate potential solutions and pursue global collaborative efforts to reduce disparities in therapies.

AbstractBackgroundLenalidomide maintenance after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in multiple myeloma (MM) results in superior progression‐free survival and overall survival. However, patients with high‐risk multiple myeloma (HRMM) do not derive the same survival benefit from lenalidomide maintenance compared with standard‐risk patients. The authors sought to determine the outcomes of bortezomib‐based maintenance compared with lenalidomide maintenance in patients with HRMM undergoing ASCT.MethodsIn total, the authors identified 503 patients with HRMM who were undergoing ASCT within 12 months of diagnosis from January 2013 to December 2018 after receiving triplet novel‐agent induction in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database. HRMM was defined as deletion 17p, t(14;16), t(4;14), t(14;20), or chromosome 1q gain.ResultsThree hundred fifty‐seven patients (67%) received lenalidomide alone, and 146 (33%) received bortezomib‐based maintenance (with bortezomib alone in 58%). Patients in the bortezomib‐based maintenance group were more likely to harbor two or more high‐risk abnormalities and International Staging System stage III disease (30% vs. 22%; p = .01) compared with the lenalidomide group (24% vs. 15%; p < .01). Patients who were receiving lenalidomide maintenance had superior progression‐free survival at 2 years compared with those who were receiving either bortezomib monotherapy or combination therapy (75% vs. 63%; p = .009). Overall survival at 2 years was also superior in the lenalidomide group (93% vs. 84%; p = .001).ConclusionsNo superior outcomes were observed in patients with HRMM who received bortezomib monotherapy or (to a lesser extent) in those who received bortezomib in combination as maintenance compared with lenalidomide alone. Until prospective data from randomized clinical trials are available, post‐transplant therapy should be tailored to each patient with consideration for treating patients in clinical trials that target novel therapeutic strategies for HRMM, and lenalidomide should remain a cornerstone of treatment.

Abstract The overall survival (OS) has improved significantly in multiple myeloma (MM) over the last decade with the use of proteasome inhibitor and immunomodulatory drug-based combinations, followed by high-dose melphalan and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) and subsequent maintenance therapies in eligible newly diagnosed patients. However, clinical trials using auto-HSCT followed by lenalidomide maintenance have shown an increased risk of second primary malignancies (SPM), including second hematological malignancies (SHM). We evaluated the impact of SPM and SHM on progression-free survival (PFS) and OS in patients with MM after auto-HSCT using CIBMTR registry data. Adult patients with MM who underwent first auto-HSCT in the United States with melphalan conditioning regimen from 2011 to 2018 and received maintenance therapy were included (n = 3948). At a median follow-up of 37 months, 175 (4%) patients developed SPM, including 112 (64%) solid, 36 (20%) myeloid, 24 (14%) SHM, not otherwise specified, and 3 (2%) lymphoid malignancies. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that SPM and SHM were associated with an inferior PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.62, P &lt; .001 and HR 5.01, P &lt; .001, respectively) and OS (HR 3.85, P &lt; .001 and HR 8.13, P &lt; .001, respectively). In patients who developed SPM and SHM, MM remained the most frequent primary cause of death (42% vs 30% and 53% vs 18%, respectively). We conclude the development of SPM and SHM leads to a poor survival in patients with MM and is an important survivorship challenge. Given the median survival for MM continues to improve, continued vigilance is needed to assess the risks of SPM and SHM with maintenance therapy post–auto-HSCT.