title: Initial survival data of kidney transplant patients with pre-transplant monoclonal gammopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the presence of a serum monoclonal protein at a concentration of <3 g/dL without evidence of lymphoproliferative disease or organ damage. The prevalence of MGUS in kidney transplantation (KT) candidates is unknown. The present is a retrospective report of patients who underwent evaluation for a KT and were found to have MGUS at our center.
  
  
  METHODS
  All transplant candidates found to have MGUS between the years 2000 and 2007 were included. Variables were collected. Patients with MGUS that received a KT were compared with patients with MGUS that were not transplanted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of a total of 1215 KT candidates, 34 were found to have MGUS during the KT evaluation. Nine patients with MGUS were transplanted. Myeloma or lymphoproliferative disease was not observed. Following transplantation, the MGUS group had a lower survival than the non-transplanted group. However, survival from the time of MGUS diagnosis was not different between the transplanted and non-transplanted MGUS groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this group, transplantation did not confer a survival benefit. It is our hope that these initial data will serve as a platform for future studies. We suggest MGUS screening in all patients older than 50 yr of age undergoing evaluation for transplantation.
authors: Department of Surgery, The Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors: Liliana
authors: L
authors: Soltero
authors: Hector
authors: H
authors: Carbajal
authors: Jiaqiong
authors: J
authors: Xu
authors: John
authors: J
authors: McCarthy
authors: Wadi N
authors: WN
authors: Suki
authors: A Osama
authors: AO
authors: Gaber
authors: Horacio E
authors: HE
authors: Adrogué
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008998:Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015996:Survival Rate