Patient Selection for Frontline Multiple Myeloma Therapy

Jill Burke, NP, and Tanika Pittman, APRN, discuss the multidisciplinary assessment of patients with multiple myeloma when determining fitness, transplant eligibility, and suitability for frontline quadruplet therapy. Jill emphasizes the importance of evaluating the whole patient rather than relying solely on chronological age or disease status, highlighting frailty, performance status, and comorbidities that may affect treatment tolerance. She also describes the importance of assessing the patient’s support system and involving caregivers in education, particularly because the ongoing demands of multiple myeloma treatment can become increasingly challenging over time. Tanika reinforces that transplant eligibility and treatment fitness are related but distinct considerations, noting the need to evaluate functional status, cognition, nutritional status, cardiac function, social and caregiver support, and financial resources. Both faculty members emphasize incorporating patient preferences and individual life goals into treatment discussions. Jill also describes the goal of helping patients maintain their quality of life and continue living their lives alongside a multiple myeloma diagnosis, rather than allowing treatment and the diagnosis to dominate their daily experience.