Infectious Complications in Multiple Myeloma Patients Receiving Various Antitumor Regimens

• Main Authors: AA Novikova, GA Klyasova, EO Gribanova, VV Ryzhko, TA Tupoleva, LP Mendeleeva, VG Savchenko
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Practical Medicine Publishing House 2019-03-01
• Series: Kliničeskaâ onkogematologiâ
• Subjects: multiple myeloma; infectious complications; risk factors
• Online Access: http://bloodjournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/14-1.pdf

Aim. To study infectious complications and factors attributable to them as reported in multiple myeloma (MM) patients in the framework of state-of-the-art anticancer therapy. Materials & Methods. The study included MM patients who received regimens based on bortezomib, lenalidomide, and bendamustine from January 2013 to August 2018. The regimens including thalidomide, melphalan, and aggressive antitumor treatment constituted the group of “others”. Results. The study enrolled 174 patients (82 men and 92 women with median age of 61 years) with newly diagnosed MM (with median follow-up of 5.6 months). A total of 1362 courses of antitumor treatment were administered: 895 bortezomib (n = 174), 306 lenalidomide (n = 68), and 63 bendamustine (n = 22) regimens. The category of “others” included 98 treatment courses (n = 34). Infectious complications were reported in 129 (74.1 %) MM patients throughout the period of 344 (25.3 %) courses of antitumor treatment. Infection incidence on bortezomib (24.4 %), lenalidomide (20.3 %), and bendamustine (27 %) therapies was similar, and fell clearly below the infection incidence registered on the regimens constituting the group of “others” (48 %; р < 0.01). The most common infectious complications were pneumonias (54.9 %), urinary (24.7 %), and herpesviral infections (22.9 %). Herpesviral infections were predominantly associated with bortezomib treatment (29.8 %; p < 0.05). Significant factors (р < 0.05) associated with infection development were leukopenia, the presence of central venous catheter (CVC), need for blood transfusion, MM progression or relapse. Conclusion. Infection incidence in MM patients receiving bortezomib, lenalidomide, and bendamustine anticancer therapy appeared to be similar, but considerably lower than in patients who received antitumor regimens belonging to category “others”. The prevalent type of infectious complications was pneumonia. Herpesviral infections were most common on bortezomib regimens. Factors related to infection development throughout all therapies were leukopenia, the presence of CVC, need for blood transfusion, MM progression or relapse.