Obesity is associated with an increased risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance among black and white women.
Obesity and black race have been associated with excess risk of multiple myeloma. The association of obesity with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is unknown. Further, it is not known whether the increased risk of multiple myeloma and MGUS in blacks is related to socioeconomic status, genetic susceptibility, or both. We screened 1000 black and 996 white women (range, 40-79 years) of similar socioeconomic status for MGUS; the aim of the study was to assess MGUS risk in relation to obesity and race. A total of 39 (3.9%) blacks and 21 (2.1%) whites had MGUS. On multivariate analysis, obesity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8; P = .04), black race (OR = 1.8; P = .04), and increasing age (> 55 vs < 43 years; OR = 2.5; P = .03) were independently associated with an excess risk of MGUS. Our findings support the hypothesis that obesity is etiologically linked to myelomagenesis. The 2-fold excess of MGUS among blacks compared with whites of similar socioeconomic status supports a role for susceptibility genes in MGUS.
Landgren
Ola
O
Center for Cancer Research and Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. landgreo@mail.nih.gov
Rajkumar
S Vincent
SV
Pfeiffer
Ruth M
RM
Kyle
Robert A
RA
Katzmann
Jerry A
JA
Dispenzieri
Angela
A
Cai
Qiuyin
Q
Goldin
Lynn R
LR
Caporaso
Neil E
NE
Fraumeni
Joseph F
JF
Blot
William J
WJ
Signorello
Lisa B
LB
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008998:Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*