Black Americans with multiple myeloma face mortality rates two to three times higher than white patients, with recent data showing 5-year death rates of 7.3 per 100,000 for Black men versus 3.7 for white men. Yet research reveals a troubling paradox: when Black patients receive optimal treatment, their survival outcomes match or exceed those of white patients.
The disparity stems from systemic barriers rather than biology. Black patients are less likely to receive evidence-based therapies including protease inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, and stem cell transplants. They wait an average of 5.2 months before starting treatment compared to 2.6 months for white patients. Studies show providers deliver less effective treatments to African-American patients even after controlling for insurance, income, and health behaviors.
Black patients also face significant underrepresentation in clinical trials, comprising just 4% of participants in multiple myeloma drug approval trials between 2006 and 2019, despite accounting for 20% of those living with the disease. This exclusion means “race-based differences in drug metabolism, toxicities, and response rates are not considered in the development of innovative medical treatments,” according to researchers.
A 2025 study demonstrated that survival differences disappeared when Black and white patients received equivalent care with matched risk factors. Experts emphasize that culturally congruent care, increased participation of Black oncologists—currently only 3% of medical oncologists—and addressing implicit bias among providers are essential to closing these deadly gaps.
See: “Zeroing in on the Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care, Outcomes” (December 29, 2025)
