Predictor for Multiple Myeloma (MGUS)

Hi gang-  Thought this might be of interest to some of you.  When Dom was first diagnosed by a local Oncologist, the guy said, basically, "Don't worry about it.  It's just MGUS... we'll keep an eye on it".

Thankfully, he'd sent Dom's blood work to the Tulane Cancer Center.  About a week later, we got the word that it was, indeed, Multiple Myeloma.  We promptly quit going to the local dude, and have stuck with Tulane for all of these years.  Love the doctor and love her staff.

Link to following story :

Patients with a high level of a specific protein in their blood have an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have been studying a group of 1,384 patients with a blood condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). This is already known to be a precursor to the blood cancer, multiple myeloma. But till now it’s not been clear which patients are most at risk of progression to cancer.

Patients with MGUS have a protein in their blood called monoclonal protein (M protein). The Mayo study shows that those with higher levels are more likely to develop cancer. Those with the lowest levels of M protein have a progression rate of 14 per cent over 20 years, while the risk is 60 per cent over 20 years for those with the highest levels.

MGUS is present in two per cent of all Americans aged 50 or over and is usually detected during a routine check. The researchers don’t recommend population screening for MGUS, but say that those who are found to have the condition should be carefully monitored for M protein during their life – then any cancers which are detected can be treated as early as possible.