The national and subnational burden of multiple myeloma (MM) in Italy from 1990 to 2023: results from the global burden of disease study 2023

Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common oncohematological neoplasm after Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas. The present study investigated the burden of MM and its temporal trends from 1990 to 2023, at the Italian national and subnational level (21 regions). Methods We used the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 estimates to describe the MM age-standardized incidence (ASIR), mortality (ASMR), years lived with disability (ASYLD), years of life lost (ASYLL), disability-adjusted life years (ASDR) rates, the related 1990–2023 crude all-ages and age-standardized annual rates of changes (ARC), as well the age-standardized mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR). Finally, the national estimates for MM were compared to those for the GBD Global and High-middle Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) countries. Findings In 2023 at the Italian national level, there were 6700 MM new cases, 4100 deaths and 73,600 DALYs, whose vast majority came from YLLs (93.4%). The 1990–2023 ARC for ASIR showed a stable trend, both overall (0.28; 95% UI −0.20 to 0.91) and among males (ARC 0.32; −0.15 to 0.92) and females (ARC 0.22; −0.30 to 0.95). The ARC for ASMR (0.04; −0.08 to 0.17) also showed a stable pattern, as well as the ARC for ASDR (−0.07; −0.20 to 0.06). The MIR improved over time, from 68.0 to 55.1, similarly for both sexes. At the subnational level, the ASIR was stable in all the 21 local entities, while the ASMR and ASDR significantly improved in 1 and 7 regions, respectively. Interpretation Comparing the GBD Italian estimates to those for the GBD Global and High-middle SDI countries, the age-standardized incidence, mortality and DALYs rates were higher, but their ARC showed a much more favourable trend than for the High-middle SDI countries. The Italian subnational estimates, including the MIR, were in good agreement with the national data, with some geographical differences.