Mortality and Major Cardiovascular Events among Patients with Multiple Myeloma: Analysis from a Nationwide French Medical Information Database

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) may derive from multiple factors unrelated to the disease (age, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, prior CV diseases), related to the disease and/or related to antimyeloma treatment. Based on a nationwide hospitalization database, we aimed to assess the risk of all-cause death, and CV outcomes in MM patients. Methods From 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2013, 3,381,472 adults (age ≥18 years) were hospitalized for any reason in French hospitals and then had at least 5 years of complete follow-up (or suffered death earlier). We identified 15,774 patients diagnosed with known MM at baseline. The outcome analysis (all-cause death, cardiovascular [CV] death, myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke or hospitalization for major bleeding) was performed with follow-up starting at the time of last event. For each patient with MM, a propensity score-matched patient with no MM was selected (1:1) using the one-to-one nearest neighbor method. Findings The mean follow-up in the propensity-score-matched population was 3.7±2.3 years, median 5.0, IQR 1.3–5.7 years. During follow-up, matched patients with MM (15 774 patients) had a higher risk of all-death (yearly rate 20.02 vs 11.39%/year) than patients without MM. No difference was observed between MM group and no myeloma group for CV death (2.00 vs 2.02%/year). The rate of MI and stroke was markedly lower in the MM group, respectively for incidence rate, 0.86 vs 0.97%/year and 0.85 vs 1.10%/year. In contrast, MM group had a higher rate of rehospitalization for major bleeding with an incidence rate of 3.61 vs 2.24%/yr and a higher risk of intracranial bleeding (1.03 vs 0.84%/yr). Results were similar in sensitivity analysis limited to patients with recent MM (i.e. diagnosed within the 3 previous months). Interpretation From a large nationwide database, we show that although patients with MM are not at higher risk of CV death, they had a higher risk of mortality due to major bleeding and intracranial bleeding. Our findings highlight the key issue of anticoagulation treatment management in patients with MM. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.