Abstract
Objective To study influencing factors for giving up chemotherapy during initial treatment in elderly patients with multiple myeloma. Methods A total of 156 elderly patients diagnosed as multiple myeloma from 2000-2010 were retrospectively analyzed. And 123 young patients with multiple myeloma were selected as control group. The causes for giving up the chemotherapy and its related factors were recorded and analyzed. Results The rate of giving up the initial chemotherapy was higher in the elderly than in young patients 〔58.3% (91/156) vs. 35.0% (43/123), P<0.05〕. 51.7% of the elderly patients did not accept chemotherapy after diagnosis. The main factors for giving up the initial chemotherapy in elderly patients were critically ill, economic difficult and the low tolerance. However, the economic difficulty was the first cause in the young group. Conclusions The rate of giving up the chemotherapy in the elderly patients is high. Old age, severe conditions, economic difficulty, and low tolerance are the independent factors. Key words: Multiple myeloma; Medication compliance
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
