Phase II clinical trial of personalized VCD-VTD sequential therapy using the Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13) for transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

The Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13) is a well-studied simplified frailty screening tool for elderly patients in the oncology setting. We conducted a prospective clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dose-adjusted treatment based on the VES-13 in transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). In the Fit group (VES-13 <3), patients were treated with 4 cycles of standard-dose VCD (bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone) followed by 4 cycles of standard-dose VTD (bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone). In the Frail group (VES-13 ≥3), patients were treated with 4 cycles of reduced-dose VCD followed by 4 cycles of reduced-dose VTD. The median age was 75 years (66–86 years), and 34% of the cases were classified as PS 3. Among the Fit group ( n =16), the overall response rate (ORR) was 87.5%. Among the Frail group ( n =31), the ORR was 87.1%. There were no significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the Fit and Frail groups (3-year PFS: 68.8% vs 53.3%, P = 0.658; 3-year OS: 70.0% vs 77.6%, P = 0.919). Personalized VCD-VTD sequential therapy based on the VES-13 was associated with high response rates and showed acceptable safety in elderly frail patients with MM. The study is registered as UMIN000011235.