The HDI co-authored publications continue! Principal Health Data Analyst Sophie Jose was co-author, on the recently published paper “Real-world characteristics and outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma receiving second-line treatment in England,” which was published in ejHaem in December 2024.  

Despite improvements in first line treatments for multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer), many patients see their disease return (relapse) or stop responding to treatment (become refractory). This means there is a pressing need for better second-line (2L) therapies for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). 

This study, sponsored by GSK, describes the real-world baseline characteristics, treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of adult patients diagnosed with MM in England between 2013 and 2020, using data collated by the NHS England National Disease Registration Service.  

It focused on patients who had already used or stopped responding to lenalidomide, a targeted cancer drug commonly used in first-line treatment of MM, and who were treated with a combination of daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (called DaraVd) as their second treatment. 

The results showed that all patients exposed to lenalidomide commencing treatment with DaraVd survived an average 27 months, with disease progression occurring 15 months after starting 2L treatment on average. Whereas, patients who had stopped responding to lenalidomide, survived just less than 2 years on average, with disease progression occurring only 10 months after starting DaraVd. These findings highlight the need for better therapies in later treatment lines, especially for patients whose MM is resistant to lenalidomide. 

Multiple Myeloma
Myeloma cells produce monoclonal proteins of varying types, most commonly immunoglobulins (antibodies) and free light chains. 
Image: www.scientificanimations.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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