Multiple Myeloma, Race, Insurance and Treatment

Purpose Multiple Myeloma (MM), the second leading blood malignancy, has complex and costly disease management. We studied patterns of treatment disparities and unplanned interruptions among the MM patients after the Affordable Care Act to assess their prevalence and effect on survival. Materials and methods This retrospective study of 1002 MM patients at a tertiary referral center used standard guidelines as a reference to identify underuse of effective treatments. We used multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportionate hazard to study the prognostic effect on survival. Results Median age in the cohort was 63.0 [IQR: 14] years. Non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients were older (p = 0.007) and more likely to present with stage I disease (p = 0.02). Underuse of maintenance therapy (aOR = 1.98; 95 % CI 1.12–3.48) and interruptions in treatment were associated with race/ethnicity and insurance (aOR = 4.14; 95 % CI: 1.78–9.74). Only underuse of induction therapy was associated with overall patient survival. Conclusion Age, race, ethnicity and primary insurance contribute to the underuse of treatment and in unplanned interruptions in MM treatment. Addressing underuse causes in such patients is warranted.