A Breakthrough Study in the Future of Oncology
In May 2025, a landmark study was published in the journal, Future Oncology, examining the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on treatment patterns and outcomes in multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies.
Conducted in collaboration with GSK, IQVIA, and powered by SDOH insights from HealthWise Data, the research represents one of the most comprehensive real-world analyses to date. [DOI: 10.1080/14796694.2025.2498878]. In fact, this is the first study in MM to link SDOH, claims and mortality databases to evaluate the impact of SDOH on treatment patterns and outcomes.
The study analyzed data from 4,768 patients with MM across the U.S., linking insurance claims, mortality, provider affiliations, and granular SDOH indicators. It found that patients facing food insecurity, transportation barriers, or living in disadvantaged areas experienced significantly worse clinical outcomes, including shorter treatment durations and overall survival.
Most strikingly, two SDOH domains—food insecurity and socioeconomic disadvantage—were independently associated with shorter overall survival, even after adjusting for clinical and demographic variables. These findings offer compelling evidence that where and how a patient lives can be as prognostic as their treatment regimen.
Behind the Science: How the Study Was Built
This was not a simple chart review. The research team designed a retrospective cohort analysis using PharMetrics® Plus claims data, enriched with HealthWise Data’s proprietary SDOH indicators, and linked with IQVIA’s provider network and national mortality datasets. The result was a robust, multi-dimensional view of each patient’s health journey.
Key SDOH domains evaluated included:
– Food insecurity
– Transportation access
– Healthcare needs
– Health system engagement
– Health adherence behavior (via HealthWise Data’s pH segments)
– Ability to pay (via HealthWise Data’s WELLth segmentation)
Patients were segmented into low, medium, and high risk for each SDOH factor, revealing significant disparities in access to care and treatment outcomes. For example, patients with high food insecurity were far less likely to receive a stem cell transplant—one of the most effective treatments for MM—and had higher mortality rates at 48 months.
What the Results Mean for Oncology
Multiple myeloma has seen dramatic improvements in care over the past decade, with new therapies extending survival. But these benefits have not been equitably distributed. As this study highlights, patients in disadvantaged communities are less likely to access novel treatments or participate in clinical trials.
Among the most powerful takeaways:
– Patients treated in academic centers were less likely to experience food insecurity and more likely to receive advanced therapies.
– White patients had better access to stem cell transplant compared to non-White patients.
– Ease of healthcare system engagement, a proprietary SDOH measure from HealthWise, correlated strongly with better treatment uptake.
These disparities underscore a vital point: If we want to improve outcomes, we must improve access. And to improve access, we need data that reveals what’s really getting in the way.
HealthWise Data: Turning Insight Into Action
HealthWise Data was the engine behind this study’s SDOH layer. Unlike traditional demographic data, HealthWise offers a rich, privacy-compliant view of the social, behavioral, and economic factors that influence health. From predicting transportation barriers to understanding how financial strain affects medication adherence, this intelligence powers deeper, more targeted interventions.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this work is showing how our data can be used not just for marketing or modeling, but to reshape the actual standards of care,” said Anne Smith, CEO of HealthWise Data. “This is the kind of real-world impact we strive for every day.”
HealthWise’s SDOH data is available for nearly 250 million U.S. adults, with over 350 attributes covering food security, caregiver support, WELLth scoring, and more. Its persistent tokenized IDs make integration into research platforms and AI tools seamless, and its privacy-by-design structure ensures HIPAA-compliance across use cases.
Broader Applications Across Life Sciences
While the multiple myeloma study is groundbreaking, its implications go far beyond oncology. Life sciences organizations can leverage HealthWise SDOH data across the R&D pipeline:
- Clinical Trial Optimization: Identify at-risk patients unlikely to enroll due to transportation or digital access barriers
- Precision Marketing: Tailor patient messaging based on financial, behavioral, and access-related attributes
- HEOR (Health Economics & Outcomes Research) & RWE (Real World Evidence) Studies: Understand how non-clinical factors affect drug adherence, cost, and outcomes
- Commercial Strategy: Focus field force activity around medical professionals treating underserved populations
In an environment where every launch, every protocol, and every dollar must show impact, SDOH data is not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.
The Future is SDOH-Informed
This publication is a powerful signal to healthcare innovators: If we’re serious about improving outcomes, equity, and efficiency, we must invest in understanding the social context behind every patient.
With its strong performance in this study and a growing portfolio of real-world partnerships, HealthWise Data is proving that SDOH isn’t just a research trend, it’s a cornerstone of precision health.
For more information about the study, visit the full article in the Future Oncology journal: https://doi.org/10.1080/14796694.2025.2498878.
