Trends of survival in patients with multiple myeloma in Japan: a multicenter retrospective collaborative study of the Japanese Society of Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous disease in the context of treatment outcomes depending on the presence or absence of the disease-related risk factors including stage and chromosomal abnormality, patient-related factors including age and comorbidity and treatment-related factors including the use of novel agents and/or autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). 1 The prevalence of MM varies according to ethnicity and geographical backgrounds, and the incidence of MM in Asia has been reported to be lower than that in Western countries. However, recent reports have shown an increase in the morbidity in Asia. 2 In Japan, during 1975–2010 the age-adjusted incidence of MM increased from 0.92 to 5.2 and from 0.81 to 4.8 per 100 000 men and women, respectively. 3