Clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes among African American and White patients with multiple myeloma in the United States

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is more common among Black/African American (AA) patients than White patients, but survival rate improvements are less pronounced for AA patients. This study evaluated treatment patterns and survival among 1810 AA and 5904 White adults in the United States with ≥1 MM treatment and ≥3 months of follow-up. Median time from diagnosis to systemic treatment was longer (37 [0–3053] vs. 35 [0–3664] days) and median time to stem cell transplant (SCT) was longer for AA than White patients (255 [1–2352] vs. 225 [1–3094] days), and AA patients were less likely to receive SCT (odds ratio [OR]: 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58–0.76). Despite disparities in treatment between AA and White patients, AA patients demonstrated lower risk of death (OR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81–0.96). These data highlight the value of equal access to care for the improvement of health outcomes in underserved populations.