Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo

The following is a summary of “Epidemiology of patients treated for multiple myeloma using a new algorithm in the French national health insurance database (SNDS): Results from the MYLORD study,” published in the May 2025 issue of PLoS One by Touzeau et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to revise epidemiological indicators for multiple myeloma (MM) using the French National Health Insurance database (SNDS).    

They identified adults treated for MM between 2014 and 2020 using hospital records (ICD-10 code C90*) and/or Long-Term Disease status (ICD-10 C90*), along with MM-specific treatment dispensations or use of lenalidomide or thalidomide, provided 2 conditions were met: at least 2 Serum or Urine-Protein Electrophoresis tests within 4 months of first drug dispensation, and absence of hospitalizations for diagnoses other than MM.    

The results showed that in 2020 in France, 5,608 new patients were treated for multiple myeloma, with a world age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 3.67 (3.55–3.78) per 100,000. The total treated population was 33,675, corresponding to a world age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of 22.34 (22.06–22.63) per 100,000. The ASIR rose slightly from 2014 to 2018, then declined modestly by 2020, while the ASPR consistently increased each year in both sexes.    

Investigators concluded that the algorithm developed for the MYLORD study enhanced the identification of patients treated for MM within the SNDS compared to existing French references and enabled the generation of strong epidemiological indicators. 

Source: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0322474