Real-world Evidence of Multiple Myeloma Treated from 2013 to 2019 in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland

Abstract

Background: The rapid development of multiple myeloma (MM) management underscores the value of real-world data. In our study we examined 509 adult MM patients treated with immunochemotherapy (ICT) with/without stem cell transplantation (SCT) from 2013 to 2019 in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland. Materials & methods: Our study was based on computational analyses of data integrated into the hospital data lake. Results: After 2017, treatment pattern diversity increased with improved access to novel treatments. 5-year survivals were 74.4% (95% CI: 65.5–84.5) in SCT-eligible and 44.0% (95% CI: 37.6–51.4) in non-SCT subgroups. In the SCT-eligible subgroup, high first-year hospitalization costs were followed by stable resource requirements. Conclusion: Hospital data lakes can be adapted to carry out complex analysis of large MM cohorts.

Plain language summary

To better understand how multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer) is clinically managed, we examined 509 adult patients using advanced computer analysis and data stored in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa information system. Our study found that after 2017, there was more variety in treatments due to better access to new therapies. Compared with a nontransplant group (44.0%), patients eligible for stem cell transplantation had a better 5-year survival rate (74.4%) and used higher levels of healthcare resources. Our study highlights the potential of hospital data systems to study large groups of multiple myeloma patients and inform strategies to tackle the burden associated with the treatment costs of multiple myeloma.

Tweetable abstract

Treatment patterns in multiple myeloma patients are heterogeneous, and have extended in duration in recent years following the adoption of novel modalities – study of >500 multiple myeloma patients with the Helsinki (Finland) data lake @oscarbruck @RaijaSilvennoi1 @kporkka @HUS_fi @medaffcon.

Keywords::

• electronic health record data
• healthcare resource use
• hospital data lake
• immunochemotherapy
• multiple myeloma
• real-world data/evidence

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/fon-2023-0120

Author contributions

L Vassilev, K Pousar and M Aalto-Setälä contributed to study concept. All authors participated in study design and interpretation of the results. J Vikkula and O Brück performed the analyses of single-level data and R Silvennoinen, O Brück, K Porkka validated the aggregate data results, together with other authors. J Vikkula and K Uusi-Rauva contributed to the design and drawing of figures. K Uusi-Rauva and J Vikkula wrote the first draft of the manuscript which was edited and approved by all authors. All authors participated in the revision and approval of final version of the manuscript.

Acknowledgments

This study benefited from data from HUS IT Management at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland.

Financial disclosure

This study was funded by Sanofi Oy. The funding source participated in study concept/design, interpretation of results, writing of the manuscript and the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Competing interests disclosure

M Aalto-Setälä, K Pousar and L Vassilev are employed by Sanofi Oy (Espoo, Finland). T Ranki was employed by Sanofi Oy during the study conduct. J Vikkula and K Uusi-Rauva are employed by Medaffcon Oy (Espoo, Finland), which received payments from Sanofi, for conducting the study, including project management, protocol generation, analyses, and writing the first draft to be reviewed and modified by other authors. O Brück reports personal fees from Sanofi, for conducting the study, and personal fees from Amgen and Novartis, outside the submitted work. R Silvennoinen reports personal fees from Sanofi for validating the results. R Silvennoinen has received research funding from Amgen, BMS, Celgene and Takeda, and honoraria from Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Janssen and Sanofi and participated in Advisory Board of GSK and Janssen, outside the submitted work. J Vikkula and K Uusi-Rauva are employed by Medaffcon Oy (Espoo, Finland), which received funding from Sanofi, for conducting the study, incuding project management, protocol generation, analyses, and writing the first draft to be reviewed and modified by other authors (all tasks by authors J Vikkula and K Uusi-Rauva). The authors have no other competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing disclosure

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The current non-interventional, retrospective register study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the Act on Secondary Use of Health and Social Data 552/2019. The study did not involve patient chart review and was limited to the secondary use of pseudonymised special health care data.

Data sharing statement

The single-level data cannot be shared. Only the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helsinki, Finland, or Finnish Social and Health Data Permit Authority can grant rights to third parties to use the data in accordance with the Act on Secondary Use of Health and Social Data.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Sanofi Oy. The funding source participated in study concept/design, interpretation of results, writing of the manuscript and the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.