Survival, health care resource utilization and expenditures of first-line treatments for multiple myeloma patients ineligible for transplant in Taiwan

Background: We aimed to provide real-world information on survival, health care resource utilization (HCRU), and expenditures related to various first lines of therapy (1LOTs) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients who were transplant ineligible (TI). Patients and methods: From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database (2008–2016), we identified 1,511 NDMM-TI patients who had received 1LOT since June 2012. We categorized 1LOT regimens into four groups: bortezomib (V)+thalidomide (T), V, T, and non-V/T. Patients’ characteristics were collected. The overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), frequencies of HCRU (hospitalization, visiting outpatient and emergency departments), and related expenditures within one year after commencement of the 1LOT were evaluated and compared. Results: The mean age of the included patients was 71.3 (SD 10.7) years, and 40.4% of patients had a CCI score ≥3. Most patients (747; 49.4%) were in the V+T group and, after adjusting for covariates, had a significantly longer OS (median, 22.2 months) and EFS (9.1 months) than those in the T group (12.6 and 4.5 months, respectively) and the non-V/T group (12.2 and 3.2 months, respectively), but they were mostly comparable with patients in the V group (23.8 and 6.6 months, respectively). Compared to those in the V+T group, patients in the T and non-V/T groups had 29% and 39% fewer outpatient visits and 15% and 24% lower total expenditure, respectively. Conclusion: Our real-world data consolidate evidence for the effectiveness of bortezomib-containing regimens as the 1LOT in NDMM-TI patients at the expense of more outpatient visits and higher total costs.