How Guidelines Impact Use of Multiple Myeloma Novel Therapies

A recent presentation at ASH 2017 sought to outline which multiple myeloma (MM) treatment options are gaining popularity and improving outcomes.

“Over the last decade MM diagnosis and therapy have greatly improved; notably due to an increasing number of ‘novel agents,’” Laura Gengenbach, of the department of hematology and oncology at the University Medical Center Freiburg in Germany, and colleagues wrote. “Anti-MM-therapy has gained complexity; orientation towards “state of the art” chemotherapy protocols and international guidelines, as well as their continuous evaluation is highly important.”

The researchers aimed to measure the impact of novel agents with chemotherapy due to a lack of data in this area. They noted that because these agents are usually only measured in clinical trials, there is a limited availability of patient data and research of those data. In order to accomplish this, the researchers performed a real-world analysis of clinical MM practice patterns related to adherence to MM therapy guidelines. Dr Gengenbach and colleagues studied 287 MM patients treated at a single medical center.

Study results showed that the use of second- and third-line treatment increased significantly between 2013 and 2017 as they were approved. The study also showed that 44% of second-generation novel therapy recommendations were administered outside of the chemotherapy setting. The researchers noted that this was due to tighter inclusion criteria and broader exclusion criteria of chemotherapy.

The researchers determined that guidelines regarding the use of second-generation novel therapies are implemented quickly based on their study findings.

“A significant percentage of second generation novel agents are administered outside chemotherapy settings, representing the fast and effective implementation of guideline recommendations into the real-world clinical practice at our and other MM centers.”

—David Costill

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