Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo
The following is a summary of “Thromboembolic risk of carfilzomib or bortezomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: A comparative systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the March 2024 issue of Hematology by Costa et al.
Blood clots are a common complication in multiple myeloma (MM), and it’s unclear if carfilzomib/lenalidomide/dexamethasone (KRd) or bortezomib/lenalidomide/dexamethasone (VRd) therapy increases the risk more.
Researchers performed a retrospective study comparing the risk of blood clots in both veins (VTE) and arteries (ATE) with KRd vs. VRd as initial treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM).
They examined 2,304 patients (1380 on VRd; 924 on KRd) for VTE events and 2,179 patients (1316 on VRd; 863 on KRd) for ATE events, drawn from one RCTl and five retrospective cohort studies out of a total of 510 studies identified after removing duplicates.
The results showed lower VTE rates in the VRd group compared to the KRd group (6.16% vs. 8.87%; OR, 0.53; 95%C], 0.32–0.88; P=.01). Both groups had minimal ATE incidence, with no significant difference between them (0.91% vs. 1.16%; OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.24–4.20; P=.99).
Investigators concluded that due to the study design limitations, more research is needed to confirm findings and improve ways to prevent blood clots in MM patients.