Physical Function, Psychosocial Status, and Symptom Burden Among Adults with Plasma Cell Disorders and Associations with Quality of Life

The plasma cell disorders (PCDs) multiple myeloma (MM) and light chain amyloidosis (AL) are disproportionately diseases of older adults, whose care may be complicated by frailty associated with advancing age. This article evaluates the prevalence of functional deficits and symptoms in a cohort of persons with PCDs and associations of demographic, disease-related, functional, and psychosocial measures with quality of life. Background The plasma cell disorders (PCDs), multiple myeloma (MM), and light-chain amyloidosis (AL) are disproportionately diseases of older adults, whose care may be complicated by frailty associated with advancing age. We sought to evaluate the prevalence of functional deficits and symptoms in a cohort of persons with PCDs and associations of demographic, disease-related, functional, and psychosocial measures with quality of life (QoL). Patients and Methods Adults with PCDs were recruited into an observational registry in 2018-2020. Patients completed a functional assessment and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL questionnaire (QLQ-C30). Associations of covariates of interest with QoL were evaluated via univariate linear regression. Results Among 121 adults, the mean age was 68.6. Diagnoses were 74% MM, 14% AL, 7% both MM and AL, and 5% other PCDs. The median time from diagnosis was 34.9 months. Median lines of therapy were 2, with 11% having received >= 4th-line therapy. Patients with functional deficits had lower mean QoL scores: dependence in IADLs (66.3 vs. 79.9, P = .001) and recent falls (56.7 vs. 76.8, P = .001). Patients <= 6 months from diagnosis had lower QoL (66.7) than those >= 2 years from diagnosis (77.3, P = .03). However, patients on later lines of therapy (>= 4th-line) had lower QoL (62.2) than those on 1st-line treatment (76.0, P = .04). Conclusions Patients with physical impairments and more advanced PCDs had lower QoL than those without deficits or earlier in their disease course. Early identification of physical impairments may facilitate interventions that mitigate these deficits and thereby improve QoL for patients with PCDs.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the prevalence of functional deficits and symptoms in a cohort of patients with plasma cell disorders (PCDs) and examines the associations between demographic, disease-related, functional, and psychosocial measures with quality of life.