Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jul 23;114(4):785-90.
doi: 10.1182/blood-2008-12-192575. Epub 2009 Jan 29.

Increased risk of monoclonal gammopathy in first-degree relatives of patients with multiple myeloma or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance

Celine M Vachon  1 , Robert A Kyle, Terry M Therneau, Barbara J Foreman, Dirk R Larson, Colin L Colby, Tara K Phelps, Angela Dispenzieri, Shaji K Kumar, Jerry A Katzmann, S Vincent Rajkumar
Affiliations

Increased risk of monoclonal gammopathy in first-degree relatives of patients with multiple myeloma or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance

Celine M Vachon et al. Blood. .

Abstract

We examined whether monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is increased in first-degree relatives of multiple myeloma (MM) or MGUS patients. Probands were recruited from a population-based prevalence study (MGUS) and the Mayo Clinic (MM). Serum samples were collected from first-degree relatives older than 40 years and subjected to electrophoresis and immunofixation. The prevalence of MGUS in relatives was compared with population-based rates. Nine-hundred eleven relatives of 232 MM and 97 MGUS probands were studied. By electrophoresis, MGUS was detected in 55 (6%) relatives, and immunofixation identified 28 additional relatives for an age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of 8.1% (95% CI, 6.3 to 9.8). The prevalence of MGUS in relatives increased with age (1.9%, 6.9%, 11.6%, 14.6%, 21.0% for ages 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, >/= 80 years, respectively; P < .001). Using similar MGUS detection methods, there was a higher risk of MGUS in relatives (age-adjusted risk ratio [RR], 2.6; 95% CI, 1.9 to 3.4) compared with the reference population. The increased risk was seen among relatives of MM (RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.8) and MGUS probands (RR, 3.3; 95% CI, 2.1 to 4.8). The increased risk of MGUS in first-degree relatives of MGUS or MM patients implies shared environment and/or genetics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
MGUS prevalence by age for all first-degree relatives of MM or MGUS probands compared with Olmsted County reference population. Age > 90 collapsed to 90.
Figure 2
Figure 2
MGUS prevalence by age and sex. All first-degree relatives and Olmsted County reference population. Age > 90 collapsed to 90.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Familial multiple myeloma.
    Lynch HT, Thomé SD. Lynch HT, et al. Blood. 2009 Jul 23;114(4):749-50. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-03-207233. Blood. 2009. PMID: 19628711

References

    1. Kyle RA, Therneau TM, Rajkumar SV, et al. A long-term study of prognosis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. New Engl J Med. 2002;346:564–569. - PubMed
    1. Kyle RA, Therneau TM, Rajkumar SV, et al. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. New Engl J Med. 2006;354:1362–1369. - PubMed
    1. Landgren O, Katzmann JA, Hsing AW, et al. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance among men in Ghana. Mayo Clin Proc. 2007;82:1468–1473. - PubMed
    1. Landgren O, Gridley G, Turesson I, et al. Risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and subsequent multiple myeloma among African American and white veterans in the United States. Blood. 2006;107:904–906. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cohen HJ, Crawford J, Rao MK, Pieper CF, Currie MS. Racial differences in the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy in a community-based sample of the elderly. Am J Med. 1998;104:439–444. - PubMed

Publication types