Abstract
Advances in treatment have improved the survival of multiple myeloma (MM) patients, but the disease remains incurable. Here, in this nationwide retrospective real-world evidence (RWE) study, we report the patient characteristics, incidence, overall survival outcomes, comorbidities, and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) of all adult MM patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2021 in Finland. A total of 7070 MM patients and their 21,210 age-, sex- and region-matched controls were included in the analysis. The average MM incidence doubled from 4.11 to 8.33 per 100,000 people during the follow-up. The average age-standardized incidence also showed a significant increase over time (2.51 in 2000 to 3.53 in 2021). An increase in incidence was particularly seen in older population, indicative of improved diagnosis praxis. The median overall survival (mOS) of the MM patients and their matched controls was 3.6 and 15.6 years, respectively. The mOS of all MM patients increased significantly from 2.8 years (2000-2004) to 4.4 years (2017-2021) during the follow-up period. Distinctively, in patients who received autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), the mOS was 9.2 years, while in patients who did not receive ASCT, the mOS was only 2.7 years. MM patients showed more comorbidities at index and increased HCRU than their matched controls. The longer median survival and decreased risk of death indicate improved treatment outcomes in MM patients in Finland.