Research on second cancers in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who were or were not treated with lenalidomide

Summary

This research compared data from patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who were and were not treated with lenalidomide. MM is a cancer in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Researchers wanted to learn if patients treated with lenalidomide had a higher chance of developing a second cancer.

  • Lenalidomide is a prescription medicine used to treat MM
  • A second cancer is a new and different type of cancer that happens in a patient who had cancer before – it’s sometimes called a subsequent primary malignancy (SPM)

What were the main results?

Researchers found that patients with MM who were treated with lenalidomide didn’t have a higher chance of developing a second cancer compared to patients who weren’t treated with lenalidomide.

The researchers suggest more studies are needed to confirm these results.

  • Illustration of a magnifying glass representing researchers looking closely at their study.

    What did researchers study?

    Researchers compared the data of patients who were and were not treated with lenalidomide. They looked for any differences between patients who did and didn’t develop a second cancer.

    Then, researchers compared the data of patients who later had a second cancer to patients who did not have a second cancer. They looked for any differences between patients’ treatment with lenalidomide.

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    How many patients' data did researchers study?

    Researchers started with data from 1,653 patients with MM who joined Total Cancer Care® (TCC). They were treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center between 2004 and 2012:

    • 807 patients were treated with lenalidomide
    • 846 patients were not treated with lenalidomide
  • Illustration of a bar graph with a magnifying glass representing types of research.

    What kind of research was this?

    This was an observational study. Researchers looked at (observed) patients’ medical records from the past.

The results of this research alone should not be used to make health decisions. It takes many studies for researchers to confirm findings and use them in patient care.

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Why was this research needed?

One goal of cancer research is finding safer  treatments. Researchers wanted to learn if patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who were treated with lenalidomide had a higher chance of developing a second cancer. MM is a cancer in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells help the body fight infections. A second cancer is a new and different type of cancer that happens in a patient who had cancer before.

There are different treatment options for MM, depending on the patient. One of the treatment options is lenalidomide, a prescription medicine taken by mouth.

However, other research linked treatment with lenalidomide (when taken with a chemotherapy medicine called melphalan) to a higher chance of developing a second cancer in patients with MM.

In this study, researchers compared data from patients with MM who were and were not treated with lenalidomide to look for a link between lenalidomide and developing a second cancer.

How many patients' data did researchers study?

The researchers began with data from 1,653 patients with MM who joined TCC. They were treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center between 2004 and 2012. Out of the 1,653 patients:

  • 807 were treated with lenalidomide
  • 846 were not treated with lenalidomide
  • 51 had a second cancer

The researchers didn't include data from patients if:

  • The patients were treated outside of the Moffitt Cancer Center and researchers didn’t have their medical records
  • The researchers couldn't conclude if they had a second cancer

What kind of research was this?

This was an observational study. Researchers looked at patients’ medical records from the past.

This kind of study can further cancer research aimed at developing new treatments, tailoring treatments to patients, and identifying a patient’s cancer sooner.

What happened during this research?

First, researchers compared the data of patients who were and were not treated with lenalidomide. They looked for any differences between patients who did and didn’t develop a second cancer, including:

  • Age when diagnosed with MM
  • Date when diagnosed with MM
  • How severe their MM was when diagnosed (stage of cancer)
  • How long they were treated with lenalidomide

Then, researchers compared the data of patients who later had a second cancer to patients who did not have a second cancer. They looked for any differences between patients’ treatment with lenalidomide, including:

  • If the patient was treated with lenalidomide
  • How long they were treated with lenalidomide
  • If they took another cancer treatment with lenalidomide

To make sure the patients who did and did not have a second cancer were similar, the researchers matched their sex, age, and other factors, such as smoking. They matched each patient who had a second cancer to 2 patients who did not have a second cancer. The researchers did this to compare the groups fairly and make sure other factors didn’t affect the chance that a patient had a second cancer.

How researchers designed this study

Researchers started with data from 1,653 patients with multiple myeloma. They first looked for patients who were or weren’t treated with lenalidomide.

  • 807 patients were treated with lenalidomide
  • 846 patients were not treated with lenalidomide

They then looked for patients who later had a second cancer and matched their data with similar patients who didn’t have a second cancer.

  • 51 patients had a second cancer
  • 102 patients who didn’t have a second cancer

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What were the main results?

Researchers found no difference between patients with MM who were and were not treated with lenalidomide. This means they did not find a link between treatment with lenalidomide and having a second cancer in patients with MM.

How has this research helped?

This study helped researchers learn more about treatment with lenalidomide and the chance of developing a second cancer in patients with MM. While other research found a possible link between patients with MM who are treated with lenalidomide and later having a second cancer, this research did not.

The researchers believe there are many possible reasons for this difference in findings. They point out the need for more research to confirm these results.

READ THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Subsequent primary malignancies among multiple myeloma patients treated with or without lenalidomide