Reprint of: Aging: Treating the Older Patient

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy of older adults. The median age at diagnosis is 69 years, and in the next 15 years the incidence of MM is expected to double in this age demographic [1,2]. Novel therapeutics and the routine use of autologous stem cell transplant have led to substantial improvements in overall response rates and durable remissions [3]. In contrast with younger MM patients, older patients have only modest improvements in overall survival [4-6]. MM deaths overall are highest in patients aged 75 years and greater, and early mortality is most common in those 70 years and older [3,7].