Laura Joszt

In the last decade, treatments for multiple myeloma (MM) have improved substantially with the disease transforming from untreatable to treatable with mostly outpatient therapy; however, MM is still not curable, and there has been a significant increase in both deaths and incident cases.

analyzed the burden of MM around the world, by country, how the burden has changed, and how widely available treatments are. The researchers used vital registration system and cancer registry data to estimate mortality, as well as drug availability and survey data for stem cell transplant rates.

“Despite improvements in the care of patients with myeloma, these advances have largely delivered better outcomes to patients in high-income countries," the authors wrote. "In many [low- and middle-income countries], delivery of cancer care is often hindered by lack of access to general and specialized health care, diagnostics, and advanced treatments, like novel agents, radiation oncology, and stem cell transplantation, leading to poor outcomes.”

The analysis found that there were 138,509 incident cases of MM in 2016 and that the disease was responsible for 98,437 deaths globally. From 1990 to 2016 incident cases increased by 126% and deaths increased by 94%. Population growth attributed to 40.4% of the 126% increase in incident cases, while the aging world population contributed to 52.9% and increases in age-specific incidence rates contributed to 32.6%.

For more information about the study, visit

Articles

Treatments for multiple myeloma have improved substantially in the last decade, but the disease is still not curable, and there has been a significant increase in both deaths and incident cases.

Laura Joszt

Articles

Global Burden of Multiple Myeloma, Access to Treatments Focus of Study