Although multiple myeloma cannot be cured, treatments are available to help improve symptoms and manage quality of life. However, while treatments can help control the disease, mortality remains a concern for patients with multiple myeloma and their healthcare providers. Little research has been conducted on end-of-life care for multiple myeloma patients.
This retrospective population-based cohort study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology for the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting, examined end-of-life care in multiple myeloma patients. Around 5,000 patients were analyzed who died from multiple myeloma from 2006 to 2018, as reported through a health system database in Ontario, Canada.
The use of aggressive or supportive care was evaluated. Aggressive care involved emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or ICU admissions, while supportive care involved physician house calls, palliative nursing, or personal support visits.
Ultimately, it was found that most patients had been admitted to the hospital at least once within the last 30 days of life and died in the hospital. However, most patients received supportive care at the end of life, with more patients receiving supportive care than aggressive care over time. Factors associated with the incidence of receiving aggressive care included residence in a smaller size community, older age, and lower income.
In closing, disparities in age, income, and location of residence may affect the receipt of aggressive or supportive end-of-life care in patients with multiple myeloma. Data from this study can be used to identify these disparities and examine how to improve end-of-life care for all patients with multiple myeloma [1].
Source:
[1] Mohyuddin, G. R., Sinnarajah, A., Gayowsky, A., Chan, K. K., Seow, H., & Mian, H. (2022, June). Quality of end-of-life care for patients with multiple myeloma: a 12-year analysis of a population-based cohort [Poster session]. 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. https://meetings.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/210945
