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Objective: We describe real-world evidence (RWE) from the nationwide Swedish and Danish registries that provide important information on incidence and outcome in multiple myeloma (MM). Method: First line treatment data on more than 10.000 MM patients from Denmark and Sweden between 2005–2018 are presented. Key results from research conducted within the Swedish and Danish myeloma registries are summarized, describing subgroups of patients with comorbidity, myeloma complications, and early relapse. Results: We show that national guidelines, generated on results from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are rapidly implemented and improve overall survival (OS). We find that both the incidence of MM and the median age at diagnosis is higher in national registries compared to results from referral centres, indicating a more complete coverage. This highlights the need of validation of prognostic scoring systems and indices in e.g., SMM and high-risk MM in a real- world-population. We show that these subgroups are unlikely to be captured in RCTs with narrow inclusion and exclusion criteria, that they have worse survival, and are in need of new treatment approaches. Conclusion: National registries that include all MM patients are an important source of knowledge on epidemiology, treatment and outcome with implications for the planning of MM care. Despite the introduction of new and better treatments, rapidly implemented in our countries, our registries uncover subgroups of patients that still have inferior outcome. Our RWE can help to identify important research questions to be studied in further clinical trials also in patients currently not included in RCTs.

Parental longevity is associated with an increased life expectancy; results with regard to specific diseases are conflicting. There are limited data focusing on host characteristics and their effect on survival among multiple myeloma (MM) patients and individuals with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the impact of parental longevity on survival of patients with MM and MGUS. A total of 4675 patients with MM, 6812 MGUS patients and 13 398 population-based controls for MM as well as 19 110 controls for MGUS, from 1988 to 2013, were included in the study. Longevity was defined as >90 years of age. Among MM patients, parental longevity was associated with a decreased risk of death [hazard ratio (HR) = 0·92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·84–0·99] and the same was true for MGUS patients (HR = 0·87, 95% CI 0·78–0·96). Having one long lived parent significantly decreased the risk of death in both groups, but was not statistically significant when both parents exceeded 90 years of age. In conclusion, parental longevity decreases the risk of death for patients with MM and MGUS which may reflect the importance of the host's genetic and environmental factors in relation to survival. (Less)

High proportion of patients with multiple myeloma suffer from comorbidities which may alter clinical management. Therefore, our aims were to evaluate the prevalence of comorbidities and their impact on survival. We included patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma 1990-2013 in Sweden and all diagnoses from each patient from 1985. A total of 13 656 patients with multiple myeloma were included in the study, thereof 7404 (54%) had comorbidity at diagnosis. The risk of death was increased for those with one comorbidity at diagnosis compared to those without any comorbidity (hazard ratio = 1.19; 95% confidence interval:1.14-1.25); this risk was higher for those with two (1.38; 1.30-1.47) and three or more comorbidities (1.72; 1.62-1.83). Furthermore, the risk of death was increased in patients with prior history of cancer, arrhythmia, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, chronic lung disease, psychological disease, peptic ulcer, neurological disease, peripheral vascular disease, chronic kidney disease, dementia, and inflammatory bowel disease. This large study shows that over 50% of multiple myeloma patients have a comorbidity at diagnosis and survival decreased with increasing numbers of comorbidities. This emphasizes the importance of comorbidities when evaluating patients and deciding on treatment strategies for individuals with multiple myeloma.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for development of acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndromes (AML/MDS) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: We identified all patients diagnosed with MM in Sweden from January 1st, 1958 to December 31, 2011. A total of 26 627 patients were diagnosed with MM with during the study period. Of these, 124 patients (0.5%) developed subsequent AML/MDS. For each patient with MM and a subsequent AML/MDS diagnosis, we randomly selected a matched (age, sex, and date of MM diagnosis) MM patient without a subsequent second malignancy diagnosis. Results: The cumulative melphalan exposure was significantly higher (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.7-5.2; P

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the asymptomatic precursor of multiple myeloma (MM). Lytic bone lesions and fractures are hallmarks of MM and although there are no lytic lesions in MGUS, it has also been associated with fractures. The causes of fractures in MGUS are currently unclear but potential causes include inherent MGUS bone disease, undiagnosed MM, and peripheral neuropathy (PN). We therefore conducted a large population-based study including 8395 individuals with MGUS and 30 851 matched controls from Sweden.Data on fractures, PN, and confounders were acquired from high-quality registers in Sweden.Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and PN were independently associated with fractures (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.29; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.21-1.37; P .001 and HR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.16-1.55; P .001). Imminent MGUS progression increased the risk of fractures (odds ratio: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.27-2.16; P .001). Fractures were not associated with long-term risk of MGUS progression (HR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.77-1.53; P = .64).Based on these findings, we speculate that MGUS leads to fractures through at least 3 independent mechanisms: undetected MGUS progression to MM, MGUS inherent bone disease, and PN through falls. These findings highlight the need for further study of MGUS inherent bone disease and can inform further research into fracture prevention in MGUS.

Background Elderly multiple myeloma (MM) patients are underrepresented in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Prospective registries provide insight into real-world patient characteristics, treatment and outcome. The Danish Multiple Myeloma Registry (DMMR) and the Swedish Myeloma Registry (SMR), established in 2005 and 2008 respectively, are nationwide prospective registries with near 100% coverage. Methods We describe baseline characteristics, treatment and survival for patients diagnosed with active myeloma in the DMMR January 1st 2005-February 18th 2020, and the SMR January 1st 2008-December 31st 2019. We performed a retrospective comparison of patients aged ≥75 years at diagnosis to MM patients Results In total, we report on 4647 Swedish and Danish MM patients ≥75 years at diagnosis compared with MM patients 75 years, while the MAIA trial (Dara-Rd vs Rd) has the largest proportion of elderly patients among these studies (43.6%). However, in the MAIA trial only 29% of patients presented with ISS III, compared to 46% of patients ≥75 years in our real-world population. Similarly, 35% of patients in VISTA and 38% in ALCYONE had ISS III. The FIRST trial had a composition more similar to the Swedish and Danish registry population with 35% of patients >75 years, and 48% of these patients with ISS stage III. The treatment strategies in the elderly were similar in Denmark and Sweden. Melphalan and prednisolone (MP) were replaced by bortezomib-based regimes from around 2012, while lenalidomide-based treatment increased in recent years. Median relative survival (RS) for patients ≥75 years in Denmark increased from 25 months to 36 months for patients diagnosed 2005-2007 and 2015-2016, respectively. Similarly, in Sweden the median RS increased from 24 months to 42 months for patients ≥75 years diagnosed 2008-2009 and 2016-2017, respectively. Conclusion The real-world MM population is older and has a higher proportion of patients with ISS III disease than patients included in the pivotal RCTs, and compared to the younger patient cohort. Future studies in MM patients should take this into account.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is caused by the uncontrolled, clonal expansion of plasma cells. While there is epidemiological evidence for inherited susceptibility, the molecular basis remains incompletely understood. We report a genome-wide association study totalling 5,320 cases and 422,289 controls from four Nordic populations, and find a novel MM risk variant at SOHLH2 at 13q13.3 (risk allele frequency = 3.5%; odds ratio = 1.38; P = 2.2 × 10−14). This gene encodes a transcription factor involved in gametogenesis that is normally only weakly expressed in plasma cells. The association is represented by 14 variants in linkage disequilibrium. Among these, rs75712673 maps to a genomic region with open chromatin in plasma cells, and upregulates SOHLH2 in this cell type. Moreover, rs75712673 influences transcriptional activity in luciferase assays, and shows a chromatin looping interaction with the SOHLH2 promoter. Our work provides novel insight into MM susceptibility.

Objective: Opportunistic infections in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have been described in clinical trials, single-center studies, and case reports. We performed a nationwide study to estimate the incidence and impact of inpatient opportunistic infections. Methods: The incidence rate (IR) and incidence rate ratio (IRR) for Swedish CLL patients diagnosed 1994-2013, and matched controls were calculated, as well as the case-fatality ratio (CFR). Results: Among 8989 CLL patients, a total of 829 opportunistic infections were registered (IR 16.6 per 1000 person-years) compared with 252 opportunistic infections in 34 283 matched controls (IR 0.99). The highest incidence in the CLL cohort was for Pneumocystis pneumonia (200 infections, IR 4.03); Herpes zoster (146 infections, IR 2.94), and Pseudomonas (83 infections, IR 1.66) infections. The highest risk relative to matched controls was observed for Pneumocystis pneumonia (IRR 114, 95% confidence interval 58.7-252). The 60-day CFR for CLL patients with opportunistic infections was 23% (188/821), highest for progressive multifocal encephalopathy (5/7, 71%) and aspergillosis (25/60, 42%). Conclusion: We have uniquely depicted the incidence of rare and serious infections in CLL patients and found a relatively high incidence of Pneumocystis pneumonia. Of the most common opportunistic infections, CLL patients with aspergillosis had the poorest prognosis. (Less)

Objective: Infections in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have been thoroughly investigated in the setting of clinical trials and single-center studies. However, large cohort studies on real-world data and studies on temporal trends are lacking. We performed a nationwide study on serious bacterial infections in CLL. Methods: Using high-quality Swedish government-based registries, 13 009 CLL patients diagnosed in 1982-2013 and their 49 380 matched controls were included. Results: Overall, CLL patients had an increased risk of serious inpatient bacterial infections with a hazard ratio (HR) 5.32 and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 5.11-5.53, and the highest risk was observed for septicemia (HR 6.91, 95% CI 6.46-7.39) and lung infections (5.91, 5.64-6.18). The risk of serious inpatient bacterial infections decreased overtime with HR 0.87 (0.81-0.94) and HR 0.76 (0.70-0.82) in 1993-2002 and 2003-2013, respectively, compared to 1982-1992. CLL patients had an increased risk of death following a serious inpatient bacterial infection compared to matched CLL patients, and the risk was highest in the first 12 months after the infection (HR 5.48, 95% CI 5.11-5.90). Conclusion: We have, in this nationwide study, characterized the risk of serious bacterial infections in CLL patients and, importantly, depicted that the risk has decreased overtime. (Less)

The incidence of multiple myeloma is characterized by a steep increase with advancing age. Dramatic improvements in survival have been reported in clinical trials; however, elderly patients are generally underrepresented in these. The aims of this study are to review patterns of incidence and survival in multiple myeloma in the general population. We searched PubMed for population-based studies on trends in incidence and survival published between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2017 and based on regional or national cancer registries and report the following results of the review. The age-adjusted incidence of multiple myeloma has increased during the second half of the twentieth century in some countries but remained stable in areas with high case ascertainment and access to universal medical care. The crude incidence is increasing globally due to an aging population. Survival rates have improved, and 5-year relative survival rates are now around 50% and over 60% in patients 65-70 years or younger. Preliminary data suggest a 3-fold increase in the prevalence of multiple myeloma. We conclude that the number of multiple myeloma patients is increasing in the general population due to (i) aging populations and (ii) more patients living longer due to modern drugs.

Epub ahead of print, Epidemiology and outcome of myeloma are mainly reported from large university centers and collaborative groups, and do not represent ‘real-world’ patients. The Swedish Myeloma Registry is a prospective population-based registry documenting characteristics, treatment and outcome in newly diagnosed myeloma, including asymptomatic and localized forms, with the purpose of improving disease management and outcome. This report presents information on patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2015, including data on first-line treatment in patients diagnosed up to 2014, with a follow up until December 2016. We present age-adjusted incidence, patients’ characteristics at baseline, treatment, response, and survival. Baseline data were available with a 97% coverage in 4904 patients (median age 71 years, males 70 years, females 73 years; 72% were 65 years or older), and at 1-year follow up in 3558 patients with symptomatic disease (92% of patients initially reported). The age-adjusted incidence was 6.8 myeloma cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Among initially symptomatic patients (n=3988), 77% had osteolytic lesions or compression fractures, 49% had anemia, 18% impaired kidney function, and 13% hypercalcemia. High-dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation was given to 77% of patients aged up to 66 years, and to 22% of patients aged 66–70 years. In the study period, 68% received bortezomib, thalidomide, and/or lenalidomide as part of the first-line treatment, rising from 31% in 2008 to 81% in 2014. In active myeloma, the median relative survival of patients aged 65 years or under was 7.7 years, and 3.4 years in patients aged 66 years and over. Patients diagnosed with myeloma in more recent years were associated with significantly higher rates of complete or very good partial remission (P

Background Awareness of second malignancies in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has been increasing during recent years. We have previously shown that second malignancies are associated with a decreased life expectancy in MM patients. Information regarding prior and second malignancies in MM is limited as these patients are often excluded from clinical trials and previously published results from other groups have been conflicting. In the present study we aimed to evaluate two hypotheses. Firstly we hypothesize that prior malignancy is a proxy for genetic instability that could be a risk factor for subsequent malignancy development in MM patients. There is limited data regarding this association in the literature and in two recent registry studies the results were inconclusive. Secondly, to further assess the clinical implication of prior malignancies in MM patients we assessed survival in these patients compared to MM patients without a history of prior malignancy. Patients and Methods All patients diagnosed with MM from January 1, 1973 to December 31, 2013 were identified from the Swedish Cancer Register. All prior and subsequent malignant diagnoses were identified through cross-linkage within the registry. A Cox regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) where prior malignancy was compared in MM patients who developed a subsequent malignancy and MM patients who did not. In another Cox regression model, survival was compared in MM patients with and without a prior malignancy. The same method was used to estimate if there was a dose-dependent relationship, i.e. if an increasing number of prior malignancies was associated with a poorer outcome. Results A total of 22,359 patients were diagnosed with MM during the study period. Of these, 2,620 (12%) patients had one or more prior malignancy diagnosis at the time of MM diagnosis and 1,243 (6%) patients developed subsequent malignancies. Among the MM patients who developed a subsequent malignancy, 148 (12%) had a prior malignancy diagnosis. Hematological malignancies were 7% of prior malignancies and 17% of subsequent malignancies. MM patients with a prior malignancy diagnosis did not have increased risk of developing a subsequent malignancy compared to MM patients without a prior malignancy (HR 1.0, 95% CI 0.9-1.2). MM patients with a prior malignancy diagnosis had a statistically significant 10% increased risk of death (HR=1.1, 95% CI 1.1-1.2, p Summary and Conclusions In our large population-based study we found that prior malignancy negatively impacts survival in MM patients and that more than one prior malignancy decreases survival even further. Interestingly, a prior malignancy did not increase the risk of developing a subsequent malignancy in MM patients. We confirmed prior reports of solid tumors being more common than hematological malignancies, both prior and subsequent to the MM diagnosis. A prior malignancy was associated with a reduced survival in MM patients without being a risk factor for subsequent malignancies. The underlying explanation for this is probably multifactorial, and could include reduced dose intensity of chemotherapy, complications from treatment, or that MM that develops after another malignancy might be biologically different. Given the increase of cancer survivors in general, our findings are of importance both for the individual patients and their families as well as for the treating physician. Figure Survival in MM patients without a prior cancer diagnosis compared to MM patients with one and two or more prior cancer diagnoses Figure. Survival in MM patients without a prior cancer diagnosis compared to MM patients with one and two or more prior cancer diagnoses Disclosures Landgren: Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Medscape: Employment, Other: Chairman for Medscape Myeloma Program; Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; BMS: Speakers Bureau.

Introduction The incidence of lymphoproliferative disorders (including plasma cell disorders) (LPD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) increase with age. The metabolic link between DM and multiple myeloma (MM) or LPD has been researched in other epidemiologic studies with a small number of cases suggesting an increased risk (Dankner et al Am J Epi 2016, Castillo et al Blood 2012). However, this link has not yet been studied in patients with related disorders such as monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS), AL amyloidosis (AL), or Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). This is the first study to evaluate the risk of DM on LPD in a large Swedish population-based case-control study. Methods We conducted a large population-based matched case-control study to evaluate the impact of a preceding diagnosis of DM on the development of a LPD. We included all cases of MM, WM, AL and other LPs (OLP) in the nationwide Swedish Cancer Registry and cases of AL and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the Swedish patient registry from 1987-2013. MGUS was acquired from a network of oncology and hematology clinics in Sweden. OLPs included the diagnoses of Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, CLL, T cell lymphoma and other lymphocytic leukemias. For each case, up to four controls matched by age, gender, and county of residence from the general population were included. Cases with no controls were excluded. Diagnoses of DM were acquired from the Swedish patient registry where they were coded using ICD 9 and 10 codes. Conditional logistic regression was then performed controlling for the matching variables estimating the odds ratio (OR) of each LPD for a diagnosis of DM before the diagnosis of the LPD. OR of each LPD for the diagnosis of DM greater than one year and less than one year prior to the diagnosis of LPD was also calculated. For MGUS cases, we also assessed the risk of progression to LPD. To avoid immortal time bias we include DM as a time dependent covariate in a Cox-model adjusting for age, sex, and year of MGUS diagnosis. All analyses were performed in R using the survival, and survminer packages. Results Patients with a diagnosis of MGUS (OR: 1.58; p 1 year prior to the diagnosis were included (Table 1). However, patients with (vs. without) a diagnosis of DM are not more likely to progress from MGUS to MM, WM, AL or OLP (HR 0.89; p=0.11) (Table 2). Discussion The strength of our study lies in its large sample size and the availability of 4 matched controls for each case. The diagnosis of DM is associated with an increased risk of MGUS, MM, AL and OLP. This risk is greatest for DM diagnosis in the year prior to LPD diagnosis. This may be due to DM induced hyperglycemia leading to epigenetic changes that increase the odds of developing/accelerating early stage cancer given that they may have prediabetes/undiagnosed DM for many years prior (Huang et al Diabetologia 2014). It is also plausible that patients with DM for >1 year have been on metformin which has been shown to have a protective effect and are less likely to progress suggesting the role of hyperglycemia in its progression (Chang et al Lancet Haematol 2015). Alternatively, patients are likely to have DM diagnosed in the year prior due to similar symptoms of fatigue or weight loss, or a detection bias due to increased physician visits and laboratory testing. This lack of increased progression from MGUS in DM may be explained by the small numbers of patients that progressed in this dataset or the inability to control for factors such as DM treatment. Some other limitations include the lack of granular information related to DM, body mass index as well as prognostic information for the LPD. Conclusions Although, smaller prior studies have suggested a link between DM and cancer including MM and LPD, this is the largest study in patients with LPD. This is also the first epidemiologic study establishing a link between DM and MGUS as well as AL. Research into further understanding this association would enable us to provide patients with better treatment options in the future. Disclosures Shah: Physicians Education Resource: Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Research Funding. Hultcrantz:Intellisphere LLC: Consultancy; Amgen: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding. Hassoun:Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy. Korde:Astra Zeneca: Other: Advisory Board; Amgen: Research Funding. Lesokhin:BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; GenMab: Consultancy, Honoraria; Serametrix Inc.: Patents & Royalties; Janssen: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria. Mailankody:Physician Education Resource: Honoraria; PleXus Communications: Honoraria; Takeda Oncology: Research Funding; Janssen Oncology: Research Funding; Allogene Therapeutics: Research Funding; Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Research Funding. Landgren:Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Binding Site: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharma: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Glenmark: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck: Other; Karyopharma: Research Funding; Binding Site: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck: Other; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Takeda: Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Glenmark: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

The changing landscape of treatment options for multiple myeloma has led to a higher proportion of patients achieving deep, long-lasting responses to therapy. With the associated improvement in overall survival, the development of subsequent second malignancies has become of increased significance. The risk of second malignancy after multiple myeloma is affected by a combination of patient-, disease- and therapy-related risk factors. This review discusses recent data refining our knowledge of these contributing factors, including current treatment modalities which increase risk (i.e. high-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplant and lenalidomide maintenance therapy). We highlight emerging data towards individualized risk- and response-adapted treatment strategies and discuss key areas requiring future research.