Frontline management of transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (TINDMM) in Canada

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow leading to end organ dysfunction including hypercalcemia, anemia, renal dysfunction, and/or bony lytic lesions. The median age of diagnosis is 69 years of age with approximately one-third of newly diagnosed patients presenting over age 75. Therefore, a significant portion of patients presenting with newly diagnosed MM are considered ineligible for transplant due to chronological age, comorbidities or frailty. This category represents a largely heterogeneous group of patients. With options for frontline management rapidly changing, practitioners must consider the optimal treatment modality.