Bone lesions are one of the primary symptoms in multiple myeloma (MM), and approximately 80% of patients experience a pathological fracture at initial presentation or during the course of the disease, according to the authors of a study published online in Bone.
The authors performed a study to determine if improved treatment strategies and supportive care over time, including the use of bisphosphonates, reduced the overall fracture risk in MM patients.
Their retrospective case-control study included 1,334 patients with MM in Denmark from the Danish National Health Service, of which 881 sustained a fracture between 1996 and 2011. MM patients were matched to patients from the database without MM.
The researchers found that the risk of any fracture was significantly higher in MM patients, compared with patients without MM at all three time periods examined, and remained high over time: adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 1996-2000: 1.7 (1.3–2.3); 2001-2006: 1.3 (1.1-1.6); 2007-2011: 1.7 (1.4-2.2)). The risk of vertebral fractures was particularly higher in MM patients and also remained high over time: ORadj (95% CI) 1996-2000: 3.5 (1.4–8.6); 2001-2006: 4.0 (1.9-8.2); 2007-2011: 3.0 (1.6-5.7).
In addition, they found that the risk of any fracture was equally high in men and women MM patients, and in patients aged ≤ 65 or > 65 years.
“New treatment strategies, even if they have a positive impact on overall survival, offer no guarantee for a corresponding reduction in bone lesions,” the authors concluded.
The majority of authors reported having no disclosures. One author reported grants and personal fees from three pharmaceutical companies, outside the submitted work.
SOURCE: Oortgiesen BE et al. Bone. 2020 doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2020.115299.