Single-center retrospective study of outcomes of multiple myeloma patients undergoing autologous transplant after suboptimal response to induction

There are scarce data in the literature focusing on newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation (autoHCT) after suboptimal response to induction therapy. A retrospective study at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) evaluated outcomes of these patients. Between 2005 en 2021, 1109 NDMM patients received autoHCT after less than very good partial response to induction. The median progression-free survival for the entire cohort was 38.6 months (95% CI 35.9-41.9) while the median overall survival was 103.8 months (96.4-113.2). Patients with high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities had median PFS and OS of 24.8 months and 69.9 months, respectively. In multivariable analysis, the use of post-transplant maintenance and achieving complete response as best post-transplant response were associated with superior PFS and OS. The authors conclude that NDMM patients with received autoHCT after less than VGFR to induction had a median PFS longer than 3 years and median OS longer than 8 years, while post-transplant maintenance further improved survival outcomes.