Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance: Estimated Incidence and Duration Prior to Recognition.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 246-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Kyle ◽  
Terry M. Therneau ◽  
Lee J. Melton ◽  
Angela Dispenzieri ◽  
Dirk R. Larson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is defined by a monoclonal protein concentration in serum of 3 g/dL or less and a proportion of plasma cells in the bone marrow of 10% or less, absence of lytic bone lesions, anemia, hypercalcemia, and renal insufficiency related to the proliferation of the monoclonal plasma cells. Two major questions remain unanswered: What proportion of patients with MGUS in the population is unrecognized clinically? What is the likely duration of MGUS at the time of its discovery? Methods: We examined the serum of 21,463 (77%) of the 28,038 enumerated residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, in a population-based screening study and found that MGUS was present in 1.3% of persons 50 years of age and 3.8% of those 70 years of age. The risk of progression of MGUS to multiple myeloma (MM), primary amyloidosis (AL), Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM), or related plasma cell disorders was 1% per year. Results: By age 70, only 21% of Olmsted County residents with MGUS, as determined by the prevalence study, had been recognized by routine clinical practice (Fig. 1). This is probably higher in Olmsted County than elsewhere because serum protein electrophoresis is frequently ordered on Mayo Clinic patients. The incidence of MGUS, estimated from the prevalence data, indicates onset of the condition long before clinical recognition. The duration of MGUS prior to detection at age 70 is shown in Fig. 2. Thus, 30% of patients recognized to have MGUS at age 70 probably had MGUS onset before age 50 and 55% had a prior (unrecognized) MGUS already by age 60. The median duration of MGUS prior to its recognition on the basis of clinical practice is 11 years (median). Linear extrapolation of the incidence curve implies a first appearance of MGUS around 30 years of age. Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 2

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sæmundur Rögnvaldsson ◽  
Thorvardur Jon Love ◽  
Sigrun Thorsteinsdottir ◽  
Elín Ruth Reed ◽  
Jón Þórir Óskarsson ◽  
...  

AbstractMonoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) precedes multiple myeloma (MM). Population-based screening for MGUS could identify candidates for early treatment in MM. Here we describe the Iceland Screens, Treats, or Prevents Multiple Myeloma study (iStopMM), the first population-based screening study for MGUS including a randomized trial of follow-up strategies. Icelandic residents born before 1976 were offered participation. Blood samples are collected alongside blood sampling in the Icelandic healthcare system. Participants with MGUS are randomized to three study arms. Arm 1 is not contacted, arm 2 follows current guidelines, and arm 3 follows a more intensive strategy. Participants who progress are offered early treatment. Samples are collected longitudinally from arms 2 and 3 for the study biobank. All participants repeatedly answer questionnaires on various exposures and outcomes including quality of life and psychiatric health. National registries on health are cross-linked to all participants. Of the 148,704 individuals in the target population, 80 759 (54.3%) provided informed consent for participation. With a very high participation rate, the data from the iStopMM study will answer important questions on MGUS, including potentials harms and benefits of screening. The study can lead to a paradigm shift in MM therapy towards screening and early therapy.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (22) ◽  
pp. 5412-5417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ola Landgren ◽  
Robert A. Kyle ◽  
Ruth M. Pfeiffer ◽  
Jerry A. Katzmann ◽  
Neil E. Caporaso ◽  
...  

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a premalignant plasma-cell proliferative disorder associated with a life-long risk of progression to multiple myeloma (MM). It is not known whether MM is always preceded by a premalignant asymptomatic MGUS stage. Among 77 469 healthy adults enrolled in the nationwide population-based prospective Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, we identified 71 subjects who developed MM during the course of the study in whom serially collected (up to 6) prediagnostic serum samples obtained 2 to 9.8 years prior to MM diagnosis were available. Using assays for monoclonal (M)–proteins (electrophoresis/immunofixation) and kappa-lambda free light chains (FLCs), we determined longitudinally the prevalence of MGUS and characterized patterns of monoclonal immunoglobulin abnormalities prior to MM diagnosis. MGUS was present in 100.0% (87.2%-100.0%), 98.3% (90.8%-100.0%), 97.9% (88.9%-100.0%), 94.6% (81.8%-99.3%), 100.0% (86.3%-100.0%), 93.3% (68.1%-99.8%), and 82.4% (56.6%-96.2%) at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8+ years prior to MM diagnosis, respectively. In approximately half the study population, the M-protein concentration and involved FLC-ratio levels showed a yearly increase prior to MM diagnosis. In the present study, an asymptomatic MGUS stage consistently preceded MM. Novel molecular markers are needed to better predict progression to MM in patients with MGUS.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 300-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Q. Lacy ◽  
Kathleen A. Donovan ◽  
Julie K. Heimbach ◽  
Gregory J. Ahmann ◽  
John A. Lust

Abstract We investigated whether interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is differentially expressed in plasma cells from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma (MM) patients because IL-1β appears to play a major role in the development of lytic bone lesions, the major clinical feature distinguishing MGUS from myeloma. In situ hybridization (ISH) for IL-1β was performed using bone marrow aspirates from 51 MM, 7 smoldering MM, 21 MGUS, and 5 normal control samples. Using the ISH technique IL-1β mRNA was detectable in the plasma cells from 49 of 51 patients with active myeloma and 7 of 7 patients with smoldering myeloma. In contrast, 5 of 21 patients with MGUS and 0 of 5 normal controls had detectable IL-1β message. Bone lesions were present in 40 of the 51 MM patients analyzed, and all 40 patients had IL-1β mRNA by ISH. These results show that greater than 95% of MM patients but less than 25% of MGUS patients are positive for IL-1β production. In the future, continued follow-up of IL-1β positive and negative MGUS patients should determine whether aberrant expression of plasma cell IL-1β is predictive of those MGUS patients that will eventually progress to active myeloma.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hammad Z ◽  
◽  
Hernandez E ◽  
Tate S ◽  
◽  
...  

Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) is a condition in which M protein, an abnormal monoclonal immunoglobulin, is present in the blood at a nonmalignant level. Specifically, it is defined by: blood serum M protein concentration <3 g/dL (<30 g/L), <10% plasma cells in the bone marrow, and no evidence of end organ damage [1,2]. Evidence of end organ damage includes hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, anemia, and bone lesions. These are indicative of MGUS progression and which can be attributed to the monoclonal plasma cell proliferative process [3]. MGUS occurs in 3% of the general population older than 50 years. Incidence increases with age and varies with sex with higher rates observered in males than females [1,4]. MGUS is the most common plasma cell disorder, with 60% of patients that present to the Mayo Clinic with a monoclonal gammopathy being diagnosed with MGUS [3]. While it is typically an asymptomatic condition, it is premalignant disorder to other monoclonal gammopathies. Multiple Myeloma (MM) is almost always preceded by MGUS and the majority of patients will have detectable levels of M protein for at least 5 years prior to MM diagnosis [5,6]. MGUS also precedes immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis and Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM) and tends to progress to disorders at a fixed but unrelenting rate of 1% per year [4].


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3650
Author(s):  
Vanessa Desantis ◽  
Antonio Giovanni Solimando ◽  
Ilaria Saltarella ◽  
Antonio Sacco ◽  
Viviana Giustini ◽  
...  

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterised by proliferation of clonal plasma cells (PCs) within the bone marrow (BM). Myelomagenesis is a multi-step process which goes from an asymptomatic phase, defined as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), to a smouldering myeloma (SMM) stage, to a final active MM disease, characterised by hypercalcemia, renal failure, bone lesions anemia, and higher risk of infections. Overall, microRNAs (miRNAs) have shown to significantly impact on MM tumorigenesis, as a result of miRNA-dependent modulation of genes involved in pathways known to be crucial for MM pathogenesis and disease progression. We aim to revise the literature related to the role of miRNAs as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, thus highlighting their key role as novel players within the field of MM and related premalignant conditions.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 300-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Q. Lacy ◽  
Kathleen A. Donovan ◽  
Julie K. Heimbach ◽  
Gregory J. Ahmann ◽  
John A. Lust

We investigated whether interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is differentially expressed in plasma cells from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma (MM) patients because IL-1β appears to play a major role in the development of lytic bone lesions, the major clinical feature distinguishing MGUS from myeloma. In situ hybridization (ISH) for IL-1β was performed using bone marrow aspirates from 51 MM, 7 smoldering MM, 21 MGUS, and 5 normal control samples. Using the ISH technique IL-1β mRNA was detectable in the plasma cells from 49 of 51 patients with active myeloma and 7 of 7 patients with smoldering myeloma. In contrast, 5 of 21 patients with MGUS and 0 of 5 normal controls had detectable IL-1β message. Bone lesions were present in 40 of the 51 MM patients analyzed, and all 40 patients had IL-1β mRNA by ISH. These results show that greater than 95% of MM patients but less than 25% of MGUS patients are positive for IL-1β production. In the future, continued follow-up of IL-1β positive and negative MGUS patients should determine whether aberrant expression of plasma cell IL-1β is predictive of those MGUS patients that will eventually progress to active myeloma.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 4994-4994
Author(s):  
Delvyn Caedren Case ◽  
Marjorie A. Boyd

Abstract From 1976 to 2006, 547 patients have been identified and followed for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Criteria of inclusion included presence of serum monoclonal protein of a concentration of 2 g per deciliter or less; no or moderate amounts of monoclonal light chains in the urine; the absence of lytic bone lesions, anemia, hypercalcemia, and renal insufficiency related to the monoclonal protein; and proportion of plasma cells in the bone marrow of 5% or less. Patients identified as MGUS were followed every 6 months with physical examination, CBC, chemistries, and paraprotein studies. Ages ranged from 32 – 100 years (median 70 years). There were 214 males and 333 females. Over the 30 years of observation, 61 patients have developed disease progression: myeloma 29, lymphoma 12, macroglobulinemia 10, chronic lymphocytic leukemia 7, and amyloid 3. Time to develop myeloma ranged from 2–24 years (median 6 years), macroglobulinemia 2–8 years (median 5 years), and amyloid 3–10 years (median 10 years). Patients developed myeloma throughout the entire period of observation: 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11, 14, 15, 15, 18, 20, and 24 years. Survival from diagnosis of myeloma was 1+ – 14+ months (median 36 months) for myeloma and 24 – 108+ months (median 48 months) for macroglobulinemia. The only reliable method of identifying progression of disease to myeloma/macroglobulinemia/amyloid was serial determinations of paraprotein level. In this large series followed for 30 years, with a more restricted diagnosis of MGUS (paraprotein level ≤ 2 g per deciliter and 5% or less bone marrow plasma cells), 1% of all patients identified developed progression of disease. No patient developed disease progression in less than 2 years using the more restricted diagnosis. Risk of progression increased with time with patients developing myeloma even 20 years or longer of follow-up. Serial evaluations of paraprotein levels are indicated in patients identified as MGUS.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 1672-1672
Author(s):  
Celine M Vachon ◽  
Robert Kyle ◽  
Terry Therneau ◽  
Dirk R Larson ◽  
Colin Colby ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a common pre-malignant plasma cell disorder associated with a 1% per year risk of progression to multiple myeloma or related malignancy. Since the risk factors for MGUS are poorly defined, the goal of the present study was to determine if the risk of MGUS is increased in first degree relatives of patients with known multiple myeloma (MM) or MGUS. Methods: MGUS probands (index cases) were recruited from a population-based prevalence study of MGUS in Olmsted County, MN while MM probands were recruited through the Mayo Clinic practice. Consenting probands were asked to provide contact information on all first-degree relatives ages 40 years and older. Serum samples were then collected from first-degree relatives with informed consent and subjected to agaraose-gel electrophoresis and immunofixation. The prevalence of MGUS in first-degree relatives of MM and MGUS probands was compared to population-based rates from Olmsted County using risk ratios (RR). For comparisons to the reference population, only cases detected by protein electrophoresis and confirmed by immunofixation were included so that the diagnostic strategy was identical in the two groups being compared. Results: Serum samples were obtained from 911 relatives of 329 unique families, including 493 siblings, 324 children and 94 parents of patients with MGUS or MM. Using protein electrophoresis, monoclonal protein was detected in the serum of 55 (6%) while immunofixation identified 28 additional relatives (3%), for an age- and sex-adjusted prevalence rate of 8.1% (95%CI: 6.3, 9.8). The age-specific prevalence of MGUS in first-degree relatives increased with age (1.9%, 6.9%, 11.6%, 14.6%, and 21.0% for ages 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79 and ≥80, respectively; P&lt;0.001). Based on similar MGUS detection methodology as the reference population, there was a significantly higher risk of MGUS in first-degree relatives (age-adjusted RR, 2.6, 95%CI: 1.9, 3.4) compared to the reference population. The increased risk (P&lt;0.001) was seen both in relatives of MM probands (RR, 2.0, 95%CI: 1.4, 2.8), as well as MGUS probands (RR, 3.3, 95%CI: 2.1, 4.8). This association was similar across age of proband, age and gender of relative, and relationship of the first-degree relative. When examining whether the increased risk of MGUS in relatives was specific to probands with a large monoclonal protein concentration or specific monoclonal immunoglobulin isotype (i.e. high-risk MGUS phenotype), there was suggestion of a greater risk for relatives of probands with a high (3 1.5 g/dL) M-protein (RR, 2.8, 95%CI: 2.0,3.8) compared to lower M-protein levels (RR, 1.8, 95%CI: 1.1,2.8) although the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.12). The risk of MGUS in relatives did not differ by proband’s isotype (IgG vs. other). Conclusions: First-degree relatives of patients with MM or MGUS have a greater than two-fold risk of MGUS compared to the general population, implying underlying genetic predisposition for these diseases and providing rationale for identifying genetic determinants of MGUS. This study also provides important baseline rates of MGUS in first-degree relatives that impact the clinical care of these patients.


Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 102 (10) ◽  
pp. 3759-3764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Kyle ◽  
Terry M. Therneau ◽  
S. Vincent Rajkumar ◽  
Ellen D. Remstein ◽  
Janice R. Offord ◽  
...  

AbstractLittle effort has been made to quantitate adverse outcomes of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) class, which progresses to lymphoma or Waldenström macroglobulinemia, whereas IgA and IgG MGUS progress to multiple myeloma, primary amyloidosis (AL), or a related plasma cell disorder. From 1960 to 1994, IgM MGUS was diagnosed in 213 patients in southeastern Minnesota. The end point was progression to lymphoma or a related disorder, as assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method. The 213 patients were followed up for 1567 person-years (median, 6.3 years per patient). Lymphoma developed in 17 patients (relative risk [RR], 14.8), Waldenström macroglobulinemia in 6 (RR, 262), primary amyloidosis in 3 (RR, 16.3), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 3 (RR, 5.7). The relative risk of progression was 16-fold higher in the patients with IgM MGUS than in the white population of the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Cumulative incidence of progression was 10% at 5 years, 18% at 10 years, and 24% at 15 years. On multivariate analysis, the serum monoclonal protein and serum albumin concentrations at diagnosis were the only risk factors for progression to lymphoma or a related disorder. Risk for progression to lymphoma or a related disorder at 10 years after the diagnosis of MGUS was 14% with an initial monoclonal protein concentration of 0.5 g/dL or less, 26% with 1.5 g/dL, 34% for 2.0 g/dL, and 41% for more than 2.5 g/dL. (Blood. 2003;102:3759-3764)


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