Multiple Myeloma

Multiple Myeloma: Screening High-Risk Patients Lowers Risk of Death

Screening individuals with a high lifetime risk of developing multiple myeloma (MM) can help reduce their risk of MM-associated mortality, the authors of a new study say.

This finding applies to patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a premalignant diagnosis that carries the risk of progression to MM.
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The study authors reached this conclusion after performing a series of individual-based computational modeling experiments. They aimed to estimate MGUS incidence in a population of diverse patients and accounted for life tables and baseline MM survival.

Factors including MM-specific mortality and MM prevalence after MGUS detection were also examined.

At the end of their study, the researchers found the following:

  • Screening would benefit most high-risk individuals.
  • The currently available estimate of progression risk reduction is 61%.
  • Starting screening at age 55 years and performing follow-up screening every 6 years is associated with a 19% reduction in the total prevalence of MM.
  • The same reduction could be achieved by initiating screening at age 65 years, with follow-up screening every 2 years.
  • Lowering the risk of progression per patient with MGUS per year by 40% would, in turn, decrease MM-specific mortality by 40%.

“Screening efforts should focus on specifically identified groups with high lifetime risk of MGUS, for which screening benefits can be significant,” the researchers concluded. “Screening low-risk individuals with MGUS would require improved preventions.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Altrock PM, Ferlic J, Galla T, Tomasson MH, Michor F. Computational model of progression to multiple myeloma identifies optimum screening strategies. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics. 2018;2:1-12. doi:10.1200/CCI.17.00131.