title: Bone marrow transplant for multiple myeloma: impact of distance from the transplant center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Westwood, Kansas 66205, USA. blipe@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Brea C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Lipe
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lansigan
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meehan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis