Real-life patterns of use and effectiveness of bortezomib: the VESUVE cohort study

In response to a regulatory request for real-life data on patterns of use and survival outcomes, 793 patients initiating bortezomib for multiple myeloma in France (May 2004-April 2006) were included in this observational study. Data were collected from medical files and patients were followed for 2 years, with vital status collected after 3 years. In total 779 patients were analyzed: 83.1% had immunoglobulin G (IgG) or IgA M-component, mean age was 65.7 years and 46.5% were female. Bortezomib was initiated as third-or-later line in 82.0%. For 75.9%, the starting dose was 1.3 mg/m(2); 42.6% had bortezomib alone, 54.0% with dexamethasone. The mean number of bortezomib cycles was 5.0. Three-year overall survival from bortezomib initiation was 31.4% (95% confidence interval, CI [28.1; 34.7]) and median overall survival was 19.6 months. Two-year progression-free survival was 12.0% (95% CI [9.8; 14.4]), and median progression-free survival was 7.2 months. Overall best response was 44.0%. Survival outcomes during real-life use of bortezomib were within the range of those reported in clinical trials.