@Article{, title={Health‑related quality of life in multiple myeloma in Kurdistan Iraq}, author={Dr. Ameer I. A. Badi,}, journal={Iraq Joural of Hematology المجلة العراقية لامراض الدم}, volume={9}, number={2}, pages={101-106}, year={2020}, abstract={BACKGROUND: Health‑related quality of life (HRQoL) in multiple myeloma (MM) gained increasingimportance to ensure that the improved survival is associated with improved life quality.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the HRQoL in a cohort of myeloma patientsfrom Kurdistan region in Iraq.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational, cross‑sectional, multi-center study enrolled138 patients with symptomatic MM patients. The patients’ records were retrieved and they werealso clinically assessed and appropriately investigated at the time of enrolment. HRQoL wasassessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of LifeQuestionnaire‑Multiple Myeloma module (EROTC QLQ‑MY20.RESULTS: The 138 patients included had a mean age of 60.4 years and included 83 males and55 females. Significant predictors of worse HRQoL disease symptoms and side effects of treatmentdomains included increasing age, female sex, and increase number of treatment courses. Otherpredictors associated with worse disease symptom domain include presence of bone lesions andnonsecretory myeloma versus light chain myeloma. Basic parameters including the concentrationof monoclonal band, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, calcium, and albumin were not significantassociated with scores in any of the domain while serum LDH was associated with worse side effectsof treatment scores. Furthermore, it was noted that patients who had underwent autologous stemcell transplants had better HRQoL in all domains compared to other modalities of therapy, thoughthis did not reach significance.CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL in MM treated in Iraqi Kurdistan is not much different from their Westerncounterparts and several predictors of worse QoL were identified in this cohort of patients

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