Changes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of multiple myeloma in southern Jiangxi Province from 2012 to 2022

A retrospective study was conducted to analyze changes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of multiple myeloma (MM) patients in a provincial medical center in the Gannan region and to describe the gradual improvements in these methods. The clinical data of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2022, were retrospectively collected. Demographic and clinical characteristics, 1st-line treatment and its efficiency, survival, and prognostic factors of patients with MM in the past 10 years were analyzed. A total of 439 patients with NDMM were identified, with a median age of 64 (33-91) years and a male-to-female ratio of approximately 1.26:1. Among the patients, 56.95% were classified as International Staging System stage III. A total of 168 patients (38.27%) underwent fluorescence in situ hybridization, with a positive rate of 68.45%. The proportion of patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation was low. The main regimen used for induction therapy was proteasome inhibitor + immunomodulatory drug-based triple chemotherapy. During follow-up, the overall response rate was 72.73%, and the complete response rate was 20.35%. The short-term and long-term overall survival (OS) rates increased annually. The median OS was 1273 days, and the 5-year OS% was 35.70%. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that age > 65 years; no autologous stem cell transplantation; progression to relapsed and refractory MM; and increased lactate dehydrogenase, β2-microglobulin, and uric acid levels were independent poor prognostic factors affecting OS. In the past decade, the diagnosis of NDMM and treatment methods in the Gannan area have gradually improved. With the popularization of new technologies and the widespread use of standardized treatment regimens containing new drugs, the short-term and long-term survival of MM patients in the Gannan area has significantly improved.