Relapses with MM are inevitable, and with each subsequent line of therapy, there is a decrease in response rates and duration of response2

MM is currently incurable, and patients can eventually become refractory to multiple classes of treatment.3–6

Proteasome-inhibitors, icon

Proteasome inhibitors

Immunomodulatory-agents, icon

Immunomodulatory agents

Anti-CD38-monoclonal-antibodies, icon

Anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies

Infection—and infection-related mortality—continue to be a major concern for patients with MM7

A population-based study (N=8672) from the Swedish Myeloma Registry examined the incidence of infections overall and of specific infections among symptomatic patients with MM diagnosed from 2008 to 2021 compared to matched controls (N=34,561). It also studied the risk of infection over time and the infection-related mortality.

For each patient with MM, 4 population-based controls matched by sex, year of birth, and county of residence were chosen randomly from the Swedish Total Population Register. The control subjects had to be alive and without preceding hematologic malignancy at the date of diagnosis of the corresponding patient with MM.

The risk of infection in patients with MM 1 year after diagnosis was 7× higher than in controls7

Cumulative incidence of infection in patients with MM compared with controls

Cumulative incidence of infection in patients with MM compared with controls, graph
Cumulative incidence of infection in patients with MM compared with controls, graph

Patients with MM are 3× more likely to die from an infection than controls7

  • After 5 years, infection caused 23% of overall mortality among patients with MM

Risk of death from infection in patients with MM and controls

Risk of death from infection in patients with MM and controls, graph
Risk of death from infection in patients with MM and controls, graph

The oncology community continues to seek alternate treatment options to address the efficacy and safety needs of patients with RRMM.5,8

CD, cluster of differentiation; MM, multiple myeloma; RRMM, relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Chess pieces on a chess board, banner
Chess pieces on a chess board, banner
Different targets are critical for RRMM therapies
Discover what makes GPRC5D a critical target for MM treatments.

    1. Kurtin S. Relapsed or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. J Adv Pract Oncol. 2013;4(6):1–14.
    2. Gandhi UH, Cornell RF, Lakshman A, et al. Outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma refractory to CD-38 targeted monoclonal antibody therapy. Leukemia. 2019;33(9):2266–2275.
    3. Minnie SA, Hill GR. Immunotherapy of multiple myeloma. J Clin Invest. 2020;130(4):1565–1575.
    4. Mikhael J. Treatment options for triple-class refractory multiple myeloma. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2020;20(1):1–7.
    5. Mateos MV, Weisel K, De Stefano V, et al. LocoMMotion: a prospective, non-interventional, multinational study of real-life current standards of care in patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. Leukemia. 2022;36(5):1371–1376.
    6. Franssen LE, Mutis T, Lorkhorst HM, van de Donk NWCJ. Immunotherapy in myeloma: how far have we come? Ther Adv Hematol. 2019;10:2040620718822660.
    7. Blimark CH, Carlson K, Day C, et al. Risk of infections in multiple myeloma. A population-based study on 8,672 multiple myeloma patients diagnosed 2008-2021 from the Swedish Myeloma Registry. Haematologica. 2025;110(1):163–172. doi:10.3324/haematol.2024.285645
    8. Einsele H, Moreau P, Bahlis N, et al. Adv Ther. 2024;41(4):1576–1593. doi:10.1007/s12325-024-02797-x