Close relatives of people with multiple myeloma or mono­clonal gam­mop­athy of undetermined significance (MGUS) have an increased risk of having MGUS, according to research published in the journal Blood on Thursday. The research found that parents, siblings, and children of people with multiple myeloma or MGUS are 2.6 times more likely to have MGUS than the general population. An MGUS diag­nosis is asso­ci­ated with an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic looked at blood serum samples from 911 blood-related, first-degree relatives of people with either multiple myeloma …

Researchers recently announced that the blood disorder monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) precedes the vast majority of multiple myeloma diagnoses. Until now, researchers had disagreed whether MGUS was a consistent precursor to full-blown myeloma disease.

Study authors examined blood samples from 71 people who developed multiple myeloma while enrolled in the National Cancer Institute's Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.

Since its inception in 1992, the trial had collected frequent blood samples from participants, making it an invaluable …

In this month’s issue of Blood, researchers report that ionizing radiation is associated with an elevated risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), but that radiation does not lead to progression of the disease to multiple myeloma.

MGUS is a benign condition that affects the plasma cells. Like multiple myeloma, the disease is characterized by elevated levels of the antibody called monoclonal paraprotein, or M-protein. In multiple myeloma these protein levels are significantly raised and other symptoms begin to appear such as bone lesions and elevated calcium levels. …