BACKGROUND:

The incorporation of novel drugs, such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulators, improved considerably the survival of patients with multiple myeloma.

Aim:

To evaluate the effect on survival of proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulators in patients with multiple myeloma in two national hospitals.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Review of clinical records from two hospitals of Santiago. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and therapeutic data was obtained from 144 patients with multiple myeloma diagnosed between 2002 and 2016.

Results:

Information was retrieved from 78 patients at one center and from 66 at the other center. The mean age at diagnosis was 58 and 62 years, the proportion of males was 53% and 52%, and presentation at stage III was 34% and 46%, respectively. The use of novel drugs, mainly bortezomib, was 90% in one of the centers and 3% in the other one. The use of autologous stem-cell transplantation was 47% and 3% respectively. The median overall survival of patients from the centers with and without access to novel drugs was 117 and 71 months respectively (p < 0.05). The five-year overall survival was 93 and 43% respectively (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

The use of novel drugs, especially bortezomib, and autologous stem-cell transplantation significantly improved the survival of multiple myeloma patients treated in national hospitals. It is necessary to include them as a first line treatment.