Kumar et al (Mayo Clinic) examined the outcome of 2 groups of patients seen at a single institution, one from time of diagnosis and the other from the time of relapse, to examine the survival trends over time. In this study, they demonstrate improved outcome of patients with myeloma in recent years, both in the relapsed setting as well as at diagnosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17975015?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum