Bone marrow transplant for multiple myeloma: impact of distance from the transplant center.

PURPOSE This study investigated the impact of prognostic variables, including the distance a patient lives from a transplant center, on the outcome of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for multiple myeloma. METHODS This retrospective analysis included 77 myeloma patients who received an ASCT at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center between 1996 and 2009, 70 of whom were treated between 2002 and 2009. Using linear regression and univariate analysis, we examined the impact of distance from the transplant center on survival. Kaplan-Meier curves identified overall and event-free survival. An association between distance from the transplant center and survival was examined using Cox regression analysis, while adjusting for patient-, disease-, and treatment-related variables. RESULTS Increasing distance from the transplant center correlated with improved overall survival (P=.004), but had no impact on disease-free survival (P=.26). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the distance from a transplant center should not be a barrier to ASCT for eligible patients with multiple myeloma.