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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1527198

Global, regional and national epidemiological trends of multiple myeloma from 1990 to 2021: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study 2021

Provisionally accepted
Linmin Zhuge Linmin Zhuge 1Xiaowu Lin Xiaowu Lin 2Ziwei Fan Ziwei Fan 2Mengxian Jia Mengxian Jia 2Chaowei Lin Chaowei Lin 2Minyu Zhu Minyu Zhu 2Honglin Teng Honglin Teng 2Guoliang Chen Guoliang Chen 2*
  • 1 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
  • 2 First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is a growing global public health challenge. Known epidemiological data suggest that MM accounts for approximately 10% of all hematologic malignancies and remains the second most common hematologic cancer worldwide. This study utilized data from the 2021 Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study to evaluate the prevalence, incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and attributable risk factors of MM from 1990 to 2021, and to project future trends for the next 15 years. Methods GBD 2021 data were analyzed to assess MM's global burden using four key epidemiological measures: prevalence, incidence, mortality, and DALYs. Estimates are reported per 100,000 population with uncertainty intervals (UI). Temporal trends were assessed through estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). All analyses were conducted using R version 4.2.1. Results From 1990 to 2021, global MM prevalence, incidence, mortality, and DALYs more than doubled, particularly among males. All Social-Demographic Index (SDI) regions showed increases in ASPR, ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR (all EAPCs > 0), with the middle SDI regions exhibiting the most rapid growth. ARIMA model predictions suggest that the MM burden will continue rising over the next 15 years. The proportion of MM cases attributable to high BMI also increased globally, from 6.40% in 1990 to 7.96% in 2021. MM primarily affects older adults, with the highest incidence observed in the 70–74 age group and the highest mortality rate recorded in the same age range. Conclusion MM presents an escalating global health challenge. Targeted preventive interventions and improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and care are critical, especially in underdeveloped regions, to address the growing global burden of MM.

    Keywords: Global burden of disease, Multiple Myeloma, Prevalence, Incidence, Mortality, Disability-adjusted life-years

    Received: 15 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhuge, Lin, Fan, Jia, Lin, Zhu, Teng and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Guoliang Chen, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.