(HealthDay)—For patients with multiple myeloma (MM), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores decrease with treatment line, according to a study published in the January issue of Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia.

Nicholas Despiégel, from Amgen France in Paris, and colleagues examined the correlations between treatment outcomes and HRQoL in patients with MM in an observational, cross-sectional study. Patients with symptomatic MM who had consulted a physician at least once between February and March 2016 were enrolled. Data were included for 445 patients; 90 percent completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Core Quality of Life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the Quality of Life Multiple Myeloma module (QLQ-MY20) questionnaire.

The researchers observed a significant decrease in HRQoL with treatment line. Relatively high scores were seen for patients in the first treatment-free interval; at later lines, better scores were seen for patients receiving active treatment versus those whose treatment had ended. There was a correlation for high EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status scores with good treatment response, few adverse events, and long duration of treatment; the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status had a strong influence on global health status scores. There was a correlation for global health status scores with the four items of the QLQ-MY20.

“The observed association between response and HRQoL confirms the clinical relevance to the patient of achieving a deep response to treatment,” the authors write.

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