Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of older veterans newly treated for MM in the VA, according to 5 multimorbidity patterns that emerged from LCA
| Characteristic | Overall | Minimal comorbidity | Cardiovascular and metabolic | Psychiatric and substance use disorders | Chronic lung disease | Multisystem impairment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total No. | 5076 | 1507 | 1568 | 494 | 805 | 702 |
| Median age at diagnosis (IQR), y | 74.8 (69.6-80.6) | 73.2 (68.6-78.8) | 76.0 (70.4-81.5) | 71.0 (67.7-76.7) | 76.5 (70.6-81.2) | 76.5 (71.3-82.3) |
| Male, No. (%) | 5006 (98.6) | 1488 (98.7) | 1544 (98.5) | 487 (98.6) | 797 (99.0) | 690 (98.3) |
| Race, No. (%) | ||||||
| White | 3388 (66.7) | 1034 (68.6) | 1002 (63.9) | 301 (60.9) | 572 (71.1) | 479 (68.2) |
| Black | 1136 (22.4) | 317 (21.0) | 387 (24.7) | 150 (30.4) | 138 (17.1) | 144 (20.5) |
| Other | 66 (1.3) | 20 (1.3) | 19 (1.2) | 8 (1.6) | 9 (1.1) | 10 (1.4) |
| Missing | 486 (9.6) | 136 (9.0) | 160 (10.2) | 35 (7.1) | 86 (10.7) | 69 (9.8) |
| Mean income (SD), $ | 43325.27 (74 118.31) | 47192.74 (78 126.27) | 45062.77 (81 577.57) | 33529.48 (53 647.44) | 38853.29 (57 720.40) | 43580.08 (76 743.92) |
| ISS stage, No. (%) | ||||||
| ISS 1 | 523 (10.3) | 223 (14.8) | 131 (8.4) | 64 (13.0) | 76 (9.4) | 29 (4.1) |
| ISS 2 | 958 (18.9) | 315 (20.9) | 273 (17.4) | 101 (20.4) | 162 (20.1) | 107 (15.2) |
| ISS 3 | 641 (12.6) | 164 (10.9) | 228 (14.5) | 68 (13.8) | 86 (10.7) | 95 (13.5) |
| Missing | 2954 (58.2) | 805 (53.4) | 936 (59.7) | 261 (52.8) | 481 (59.8) | 471 (67.1) |
| Calcium ≥11 mg/dL, No. (%) | 161 (3.2) | 50 (3.3) | 59 (3.8) | 15 (3.0) | 18 (2.2) | 19 (2.7) |
| Missing | 425 (8.4) | 148 (9.8) | 132 (8.4) | 20 (4.0) | 66 (8.2) | 59 (8.4) |
| Creatinine >2 mg/dL, No. (%) | 1009 (19.9) | 156 (10.4) | 392 (25.0) | 109 (22.1) | 138 (17.1) | 214 (30.5) |
| Missing | 350 (6.9) | 125 (8.3) | 106 (6.8) | 18 (3.6) | 50 (6.2) | 51 (7.3) |
| Hemoglobin <10 g/dL, No. (%) | 1770 (34.9) | 423 (28.1) | 615 (39.2) | 176 (35.6) | 262 (32.5) | 294 (41.9) |
| Missing | 349 (6.9) | 122 (8.1) | 98 (6.2) | 18 (3.6) | 57 (7.1) | 54 (7.7) |
| Platelet <150 000/microL, No. (%) | 1152 (22.7) | 306 (20.3) | 368 (23.5) | 116 (23.5) | 177 (22.0) | 185 (26.4) |
| Missing | 636 (12.5) | 209 (13.9) | 181 (11.5) | 55 (11.1) | 97 (12.0) | 94 (13.4) |
| Transplantation, No. (%) | 152 (3.0) | 85 (5.6) | 37 (2.4) | 17 (3.4) | 12 (1.5) | 1 (0.1) |
| Novel therapy at induction,a No. (%) | 4376 (86.2) | 1312 (87.1) | 1358 (86.6) | 434 (87.9) | 674 (83.7) | 598 (85.2) |
| Thalidomide | 1119 (22.0) | 319 (21.2) | 338 (21.6) | 77 (15.6) | 219 (27.2) | 166 (23.6) |
| Lenalidomide | 1950 (38.4) | 662 (43.9) | 591 (37.7) | 196 (39.7) | 286 (35.5) | 215 (30.6) |
| Bortezomib | 2069 (40.8) | 590 (39.2) | 667 (42.5) | 250 (50.6) | 275 (34.2) | 287 (40.9) |
| Thalidomide and bortezomib | 75 (1.5) | 23 (1.5) | 22 (1.4) | 10 (2.0) | 11 (1.4) | 9 (1.3) |
| Lenalidomide and bortezomib | 671 (13.2) | 234 (15.5) | 207 (13.2) | 81 (16.4) | 91 (11.3) | 58 (8.3) |
a
Therapy at induction is defined as therapy received in the first 90 days after the index date. Novel therapy is defined to include any proteasome inhibitor (bortezomib, carfilzomib, or ixazomib) or immunomodulatory agent (thalidomide, lenalidomide, or pomalidomide). IQR = interquartile range; ISS = International Staging System; LCA = latent class analysis; MM = multiple myeloma; VA = Veterans Affairs.