Supplementary data: Physical, Emotional and Social Pain Communication by Patients Diagnosed and Living with Multiple Myeloma

Supplementary Table 1: Definition of aspects of pain

Supplementary Table 2: Thresholds for clinical importance for the EORTC QLQ-C30 scores

Supplementary Table 3: Health-related quality of life by multiple myeloma patient self-reported pain severity

Supplementary Table 4: Level of agreement between symptoms reported by patients in self-reported symptoms list and EORTC-QLQ-MY20 (using Cohen's kappa analysis)

Supplementary Table 6: Level of agreement between symptoms reported by patients and those recorded by the treating physician at their face-to-face clinical consultation (using Cohen's kappa analysis)

Physical, Emotional and Social Pain Communication by Patients Diagnosed and Living with Multiple Myeloma

ABSTRACT

Background: To describe physical, social, and emotional aspects of pain self-reported by patients with multiple myeloma (MM), and patient-physician communication of physical pain.

Methods: We analysed self-reported data from 330 adults receiving anti-MM therapy in Germany and Italy on health-related quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30, -MY20) and bone pain symptoms.

Results: Patients experienced clinically important physical (69%), emotional (58%) and social (22%) pain. Less than three-quarters of physicians’ records matched patients’ perception of bone pain (71.5%), with bone pain not recorded in 19.7% of patients experiencing it. Nearly half of physicians underestimated bone pain severity.