- Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a blood condition that can occur before a type of cancer found in plasma cells called myeloma.
- Some modifiable risk factors may have an association with MGUS, but more research is needed to determine their significance.
- Experts argue people living with obesity shouldn’t be too concerned about the risk of MGUS and that other potential health complications of obesity are more urgent.
Smoking, poor sleep, and obesity may increase the risk for a blood condition that precedes a particular type of cancer, but experts say more research is needed.
Research published in the journal Blood Advances reports that some modifiable risk factors such as smoking and obesity may raise the risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a condition that can occur before a type of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma develops.
“While significant advancements have been made in therapeutics for multiple myeloma, it remains an incurable disease, often diagnosed after patients have already experienced end-organ damage,” Dr. David Lee, a co-author of the study and an internal medicine resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a press release.
“It’s preceded by premalignant conditions including MGUS. Our research group is focused on investigating risk factors and etiology of MGUS to better understand who may be at increased risk for developing MGUS and its progression to multiple myeloma,” he added.
MGUS is a condition in which the blood contains higher than normal levels of a protein known as M protein.
In the majority of cases, MGUS is not problematic. The risk of a person progressing from MGUS to myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, is 1% per year.
In myeloma, a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow builds up, creating tumors throughout the bones in the body.
The most significant
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