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8027 Background: The Connect MM Registry is a large, US, multicenter, prospective observational cohort study of pts with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) and one of the largest, longest running MM registries. Long-term survivors (LTS), defined as patients (pts) who have ≥ 8 years of follow-up, comprise a large portion of the Connect MM Registry. The purpose of this analysis was to assess LTS demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: Adult pts with NDMM (N = 3011) were enrolled from 250 community, academic, and government sites: Cohort 1 from 2009 – 2011 and Cohort 2 from 2012 – 2016. As 99% of LTS were enrolled in Cohort 1, only pts from Cohort 1 were included in this analysis. Pt data were unevaluable if there were missing treatments, disease assessments, or large gaps in activity during follow-up (n = 28). Baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and quality of life (QoL) form completion rates were examined. Results: At data cutoff (5/17/21), of the 1493 pts in Cohort 1 with evaluable data, 279 were LTS and 1186 were non-LTS. LTS were generally younger and had better performance status at enrollment (Table). Most (66%) LTS received stem cell transplants and few experienced progression within the first 6 months (3%). Top first-line (1L) regimen for LTS was lenalidomide/bortezomib/dexamethasone (31%) vs bortezomib/dexamethasone (22%) in non-LTS. At data cutoff, 73% of LTS were still on treatment at their most recent visit. LTS underwent disease assessments more frequently (2.0 vs 1.3 per year) and had a higher QoL completion rate by year 5 (58% vs 46%). This analysis showed an estimated 8-year survival of 36% vs an observed 8-year survival of 39% from the SEER database. Additional analyses are ongoing. Conclusions: LTS were younger and healthier than non-LTS. Most LTS received triplets at induction, stem cell transplants in 1L, and were less likely to relapse within the first 6 months of treatment than non-LTS. These findings are consistent with what has been observed in MM clinical trials. Further, this analysis demonstrates the value of longitudinal data in the CONNECT MM Registry and provides insights on long surviving pts with MM. Clinical trial information: NCT01081028. [Table: see text]

Biosimilars are considered to be one of the solutions to combat the substantially increasing costs of cancer treatment, and its imminent introduction is expected to expand affordability worldwide. However, biosimilar monoclonal antibodies provide many challenges compared with first-generation biosimilars, growth factors, and hormones, because they have shown only a modest clinical effect, and are often used in combination with other more toxic therapies, making it difficult to design studies that allow appropriate efficacy and safety assessments compared with the original products. The value of comparative clinical trials for showing clinical equivalence of biosimilars that demonstrate a high degree of similarity in physical, chemical, structural, and biological characteristics with the original product is increasingly being questioned, and advances in analytical methods that provide robust non-clinical data might reduce the need for extensive clinical comparisons. In this Series paper, the third of three papers on drug safety in oncology, we review the safety and efficacy of biosimilars in oncology, assessing biosimilar monoclonal antibodies in relation to first-generation biosimilars, the issues surrounding interchangeability and extrapolation of biosimilars to other disease and patient indications, and reassessing the safety approval pathway in light of 10 years worth of biosimilar experience.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is occurring in epidemic proportions in the United States. To provide a profile of persons at risk and the epidemiologic features of malignant melanoma, we reviewed the records of 325 patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma seen at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center between 1973 and 1983. Most patients had fair skin, brown or blonde hair, blue or green eyes, and had difficulty in suntanning. The majority of melanomas (72%) developed in preexisting nevi. In women, melanomas were most common on the extremities, and in men they occurred most frequently on the trunk, head or neck. The most frequently noted depth of invasion was Clark's level IV. At diagnosis, most of the patients (77%) were at stage I. We conclude that malignant melanoma constitutes a major disease problem in the western United States that is largely preventable with appropriate physician and patient education.