A study published in the impact of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) on survival following autologous stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma. The research, conducted at a single center, involved 225 patients who underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT), a standard care for eligible patients with multiple myeloma.
The study found that higher SVI values were significantly associated with lower odds of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) post-transplant. Specifically, greater vulnerability scores in socioeconomic status, household characteristics, and racial and ethnic minority status significantly worsened the odds of PFS.
These findings suggest that areas with high SVI may require more resources to achieve optimal PFS and OS. The researchers plan to focus future studies on addressing factors within the socioeconomic status, household characteristics, and racial and ethnic minority subthemes, as these have a more pronounced effect on PFS.