Source: Myeloma – Hematology Advisor
Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients have a higher risk of early death from multiple myeloma than their White peers, according to research published in Haematologica.
Researchers also found evidence to suggest that access to care may not be responsible for this difference.
For this study, researchers evaluated 77,374 patients from the SEER database who were diagnosed with multiple myeloma during 2000-2019. The researchers evaluated early mortality, which was defined as death within 2 years of multiple myeloma diagnosis.
There was an increased risk of early mortality among patients who were non-Hispanic Black (odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.15; P <.01), Hispanic (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.14-1.28; P <.01), or Asian (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.04-1.29; P <.01), compared to non-Hispanic White patients.
Older patients also had a higher risk of early mortality. The risk was higher in patients aged 59 to 67 years (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.25-1.37; P <.01), 68 to 76 years (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.92-2.10; P <.01), and 77 to 99 years (OR, 4.23; 95% CI, 4.05-4.43; P <.01), compared to patients aged 18 to 58 years.
On the other hand, there was a lower risk of early mortality among:
Women (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.86-0.92; P <.01)
Patients with a median annual income of $70,000 or higher (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.78-0.85; P <.01)
Patients diagnosed during 2006-2011 (vs 2000-2005; OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.66-0.71; P <.01)
Patients diagnosed during 2012-2017 (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.56-0.61; P <.01).
Among patients in the higher income category (≥$70,000 per year), the increased likelihood of early mortality persisted in non-Hispanic Black patients (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.10-1.27) and Hispanic patients (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.22-1.44) but not in Asian patients (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.98-1.16; P =.2).
“Our results would support the notion that the disparities between minorities and NHWs [non-Hispanic Whites] are beyond that of access to care tied to socioeconomic status,” the researchers concluded. “There may be further merit in evaluating biologic differences.”
Disclosures: Some study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.
Reference
Wei JX, Shastri A, Sica RA, et al. Impact of race and ethnicity on early mortality in multiple myeloma: A SEER analysis. Haematologica. Published online October 26, 2023. doi:10.3324/haematol.2023.283304