BOSTON — African Americans have an increased incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) but do not appear to be at a disadvantage in terms of overall survival, however.
Researchers from the VA Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School pointed out that they previously had observed AA patients younger than 65 actually have better overall survival (OS) compared with younger white patients with equal access to care.
Writing in Blood Advances, the authors advised, “Because MM prognosis is influenced by 17p deletion (del17p), we investigated racial differences in its occurrence and impact in a large cohort of MM patients from the Veterans Affairs (VA) system.”1
The study found that, among 2,243 VA patients with MM for whom del17p data were available, del17p was present in 8.83% of all patients, with a significantly lower prevalence in AAs (5.56%) compared with whites (10.52%; P < 0.001).
The difference was even greater, however, among younger AAs (<65 years) vs younger whites—4.34% vs. 9.8%, respectively; P = 0.004. Yet, researchers said they did not find any notable difference in survival between AA and white patients with del17p in any age category. They explained that the finding suggests that del17p carries a poor prognosis across race and age.
“Interestingly, among patients without del17p, we still noted a significantly superior OS in younger AAs compared with younger whites (7.75 vs 5.10 years; P = .042),” the authors wrote. “Our study shows a lower incidence of del17p in AAs, but suggests that the survival advantage for younger AAs is primarily due to factors other than del17p.”
- Fillmore NR, Cirstea D, Munjuluri A, Yameen H, et. al. Lack of differential impact of del17p on survival in African Americans compared with White patients with multiple myeloma: a VA study. Blood Adv. 2021 Sep 28;5(18):3511-3514. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020004001. PMID: 34428278; PMCID: PMC8945588.
