ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Hematologic Malignancies
Health-related quality of life after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma or lymphoma impacts professional activity-an analysis from two German tertiary care centers
Anna Franziska Hamm 1
Ajelet Loesche 1
Christine Eisfeld 2
Evgenii Shumilov 2
Theo Leitner 1
Anne Letsch 3
Georg Lenz 2
Nikolas Von Bubnoff 1
Daniela Vanessa Wenge 2
Cyrus Khandanpour 4
1. Universitatsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lubeck Klinik fur Hamatologie und Onkologie, Lübeck, Germany
2. Universitatsklinikum Munster, Münster, Germany
3. Universitatsklinikum Schleswig Holstein Campus Kiel Klinik fur Innere Medizin II mit den Schwerpunkten Hamatologie und Onkologie, Kiel, Germany
4. Klinikum Oldenburg AoR, Oldenburg, Germany
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Abstract
Purpose: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for the treatment of multiple myeloma and lymphoma patients has been reported to improve relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Nonetheless, the impact on patient-reported outcomes, such as professional activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) remains unclear. Patients and methods: In a cross-sectional two-center study, we collected data of 122 patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy followed by ASCT for multiple myeloma (MM) or lymphoma between 2007 and 2023 at two German tertiary care centers through standardized questionnaires. Results: The median age of all patients at diagnosis was 56 years (range 24-67 years). 17.9% of patients received a second ASCT. 55.0% and 61.9% of patients achieved a complete remission after first and second ASCT, respectively. The median time to resumption of employment was 167 days and the overall rate of return to work (RTW) was 56.0%. Following ASCT, 29.0% of patients reduced their working hours and 95.4% had a recognized disability status. The median quality of life/ health status QLQ-C30 score after ASCT was 66.7 out of 100. A QoL/ health status of < 50 was significantly associated with a lower rate of resumption of professional activity (HR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26-0.78, p = 0.02). 86.0% of all patients reported fatigue symptoms. The QLQ-MY20 score for fears of the future was significantly higher than for disease symptoms and therapy side effects (p < 0.0001), indicating that after ASCT, psychological symptoms affected patients more than somatic aspects. Conclusion: Our study suggests that long-term toxicities of ASCT significantly impact patients' HRQoL and impair their professional activity. Treatment should include an assessment of mental health and socioeconomic status and provide necessary support.
Summary
Keywords
Autologous stem cell transplantation, Health related quality of life, Multiple Myeloma, outcomes, Professional activity, Return to Work
Received
01 January 2026
Accepted
20 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Hamm, Loesche, Eisfeld, Shumilov, Leitner, Letsch, Lenz, Von Bubnoff, Wenge and Khandanpour. 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: Daniela Vanessa Wenge; Cyrus Khandanpour
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