Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41078459›Full record

SynthesisClinical hematology international2025

Treatment Outcomes of Multiple Myeloma in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Jehad Almasri, Bashar Hasan, Zin Tarakji, Faris W Naffa', Lynn Warner, Hira Mian, Rajshekhar Chakraborty, Ghulam Rehman Mohyuddin, Zaid Abdel-Rahman, Samer Al Hadidi

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical hematology international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jehad AlmasriUniversity of Cincinnati Cancer Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6098-8450
Bashar HasanEvidence-Based Practice Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9531-4990
Zin TarakjiMayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Faris W Naffa'Internal Medicine Department, Ascension Saint Agnes, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7069-6424
Lynn WarnerHealth Science Library, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6789-413X
Hira MianMcMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Rajshekhar ChakrabortyHerbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Ghulam Rehman MohyuddinHuntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6464-783X
Zaid Abdel-RahmanKing Hussein cancer center, Amman, Jordan.
Samer Al HadidiMyeloma Center, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4297-8042

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) treatment outcomes in developing countries may be impacted by resource constraints. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated efficacy outcomes of MM treatments across developing regions. Comprehensive searches in five major databases identified 37 eligible studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess risk of bias. Newer novel agents including daratumumab, carfilzomib, and pomalidomide showed limited use across studies. For patients receiving autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), the pooled overall survival rate at longest follow-up (2.5-12.5 years) was 62% (95% CI: 48-75%), with high heterogeneity (I²=92%), while the progression-free survival rate at longest follow-up (3-8 years) was 44% (95% CI: 23-67%). Comparative analyses demonstrated ASCT was associated with significantly superior 5-year survival compared to conventional chemotherapy (RR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.38-1.82). Bortezomib-based regimens showed better outcomes than thalidomide-based therapies (HR for overall survival (OS) at 4 years: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.53-1.0) and alkylating agent-based regimens (HR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.28-0.83). Despite resource limitations, ASCT and certain novel agents are associated with improved survival outcomes for MM patients in developing countries. However, substantial heterogeneity in outcomes suggests variability in healthcare infrastructure, treatment accessibility, and clinical expertise across these regions.

Indexed as

developing countriesglobalHematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.Multiple myeloma

Identifiers

PMID41078459
PMCPMC12512897

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.