Final results of the CARO study: real-world adherence, effectiveness and patient-reported quality of life with carfilzomib-based regimens in German patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma

The prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study CARO (NCT02970747) investigated adherence, effectiveness, quality of life and safety of carfilzomib in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in German routine clinical practice. CARO included 359 patients at 69 sites and evaluated three carfilzomib-based treatment regimens: Carfilzomib with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (KRd), with dexamethasone only (Kd) or with daratumumab and dexamethasone (KdD). Across cohorts, patients’ adherence to carfilzomib was > 90%, while effectiveness was in line with previous data from both randomized clinical trials and real-world studies. Median PFS (95% CI) was 17.5 months (14.5, 24.7 [KRd]), 13.4 months (7.3, 18.1 [Kd]) and 20.1 months (10.9, 26.6 [KdD]), respectively. Median OS was 38.9 months (31.5, 51.4 [KRd]), 24.6 months (17.8, 36.8 [Kd]) and not reached (21.9, NA [KdD]). Patients’ quality of life remained stable during treatment, while pain parameters improved after 6 months of treatment. CARO provides real-world evidence that KRd, Kd, and KdD combinations achieve clinically meaningful outcomes in everyday practice and demonstrates patients’ excellent treatment adherence. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02970747