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Abstract Survival in multiple myeloma has improved significantly in recent years, especially in young patients. We reviewed the evolution of the survival of patients with MM in three groups based on age at MM diagnosis over three time periods between 1999 and 2020 at our 12 de Octubre Hospital institution (H12O). Then, to confirm our results, we used data from TriNetx, a global health research platform that includes patients from Europe to US. Finally, we analysed differences in the patterns of treatment between networks across the world. Kaplan‒Meier analysis was used to estimate survival probabilities, and between-group differences were tested using the log-rank test and hazard ratio. For patients from H12O, the median OS was 35.61, 55.59 and 68.67 months for the 1999–2009, 2010–2014 and 2015–2020 cohorts, respectively (p = 0.0001). Among all patients included in the EMEA network, the median OS was 20.32 months versus 34.75 months from 1999–2009 versus 2010–2014. The median OS from the 2010–2014 versus 2015–2020 time cohorts was 34.75 months versus 54.43 months, respectively. In relation to the US cohort, the median OS from before 2010 versus 2010–2014 was not reached in either time cohort and neither when comparing the 2010–2014 versus 2015–2019 time cohorts. Bortezomib is the most commonly used drug in the EMEA cohort, while lenalidomide is the most commonly used drug in the US cohort. This large-scale study based on real-world data confirms the previous finding that MM patients have increased their survival in the last two decades.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a major cause of morbidity/mortality worldwide, overstressing health systems. Multiple myeloma (MM) patients show an increased risk for infections and they are expected to be particularly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here we have obtained a comprehensive picture of the impact of COVID-19 in MM patients on a local and a global scale using a federated data research network (TriNetX) that provided access to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) from Health Care Organizations (HCO) all over the world. Through propensity score matched analyses we found that the number of new diagnoses of MM was reduced in 2020 compared to 2019 (RR 0.86, 95%CI 0.76–0.96) and the survival of newly diagnosed MM cases decreased similarly (HR 0.61, 0.38–0.81). MM patients showed higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (RR 2.09, 1.58–2.76) and a higher excess mortality in 2020 (difference in excess mortality 9%, 4.4–13.2) than non-MM patients. By interrogating large EMR datasets from HCO in Europe and globally, we confirmed that MM patients have been more severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic than non-MM patients. This study highlights the necessity of extending preventive measures worlwide to protect vulnerable patients from SARS-CoV-2 infection by promoting social distancing and an intensive vaccination strategies.