Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review

Background. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a chronic B-cell malignancy that involves proliferation of neoplastic clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow with circulating monoclonal immunoglobulins or constituent chains in serum or urine or both. It is a rare cancer with a lifetime risk of 0.76% and an age-...

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Main Authors: Wanjiku Gichuru, Nicholas A. O. Abinya, Andrew Odhiambo, Fredrick C. F. Otieno, Simon Harrison, Matilda Ong’ondi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:Advances in Hematology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/3208717
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author Wanjiku Gichuru
Nicholas A. O. Abinya
Andrew Odhiambo
Fredrick C. F. Otieno
Simon Harrison
Matilda Ong’ondi
author_facet Wanjiku Gichuru
Nicholas A. O. Abinya
Andrew Odhiambo
Fredrick C. F. Otieno
Simon Harrison
Matilda Ong’ondi
author_sort Wanjiku Gichuru
collection DOAJ
description Background. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a chronic B-cell malignancy that involves proliferation of neoplastic clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow with circulating monoclonal immunoglobulins or constituent chains in serum or urine or both. It is a rare cancer with a lifetime risk of 0.76% and an age-adjusted incidence rate of 2.5–7.2 per 100,000 in high-income countries. There is a paucity of local data on the morbidity and treatment of MM. Methods. This was a single-centre descriptive retrospective study at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). The study population included inpatients and outpatients with a documented diagnosis of MM managed between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2018. Demographic data, pathology reports, laboratory results, and clinical findings were transcribed and uploaded to a database, and data analysis was done using Stata 16® software. Results. A total of 207 patient files were reviewed. The median age at presentation was 60 years with a slight male preponderance. Bone pain was the predominant complaint in 59% (139/207) of patients, with 17% of patients presenting with paraparesis or paraplegia. For patients who underwent imaging, osteolytic bone lesions were identified in 90.6% (126/139). Anaemia was present in 71% (147/207) patients, hypercalcemia in 55.4%, and renal dysfunction in 38.2%. There were 25 different treatment regimens prescribed, with 13 patients (7%) being on bortezomib-based triplet therapy. Conclusions. MM in KNH is a disease of the middle aged, affecting men and women almost equally and presenting mainly with bone pain and anaemia. Although there seems to be a general improvement in diagnosis and care, access to novel and less toxic agents for treatment is still wanting.
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spelling doaj-art-302cb3ccab3c434a92afe5c65fd48d3e2025-08-20T02:07:56ZengWileyAdvances in Hematology1687-91122024-01-01202410.1155/2024/3208717Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective ReviewWanjiku Gichuru0Nicholas A. O. Abinya1Andrew Odhiambo2Fredrick C. F. Otieno3Simon Harrison4Matilda Ong’ondi5Department of Clinical Medicine and TherapeuticsNairobi Hospital Cancer CentreDepartment of Clinical Medicine and TherapeuticsDepartment of Clinical Medicine and TherapeuticsPeter MacCallumCancer Treatment CentreBackground. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a chronic B-cell malignancy that involves proliferation of neoplastic clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow with circulating monoclonal immunoglobulins or constituent chains in serum or urine or both. It is a rare cancer with a lifetime risk of 0.76% and an age-adjusted incidence rate of 2.5–7.2 per 100,000 in high-income countries. There is a paucity of local data on the morbidity and treatment of MM. Methods. This was a single-centre descriptive retrospective study at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). The study population included inpatients and outpatients with a documented diagnosis of MM managed between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2018. Demographic data, pathology reports, laboratory results, and clinical findings were transcribed and uploaded to a database, and data analysis was done using Stata 16® software. Results. A total of 207 patient files were reviewed. The median age at presentation was 60 years with a slight male preponderance. Bone pain was the predominant complaint in 59% (139/207) of patients, with 17% of patients presenting with paraparesis or paraplegia. For patients who underwent imaging, osteolytic bone lesions were identified in 90.6% (126/139). Anaemia was present in 71% (147/207) patients, hypercalcemia in 55.4%, and renal dysfunction in 38.2%. There were 25 different treatment regimens prescribed, with 13 patients (7%) being on bortezomib-based triplet therapy. Conclusions. MM in KNH is a disease of the middle aged, affecting men and women almost equally and presenting mainly with bone pain and anaemia. Although there seems to be a general improvement in diagnosis and care, access to novel and less toxic agents for treatment is still wanting.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/3208717
spellingShingle Wanjiku Gichuru
Nicholas A. O. Abinya
Andrew Odhiambo
Fredrick C. F. Otieno
Simon Harrison
Matilda Ong’ondi
Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review
Advances in Hematology
title Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review
title_full Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review
title_fullStr Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review
title_full_unstemmed Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review
title_short Clinical Profile and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma at a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Five-Year Retrospective Review
title_sort clinical profile and treatment of multiple myeloma at a tertiary hospital in kenya a five year retrospective review
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/3208717
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