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MGUS Symptoms
I’ve written about MGUS symptoms many times before. It is well established that monoclonal proteins cause a variety of symptoms. There is no greater challenge to the MGUS patient experiencing symptoms than the oncologist who continually tells the survivor that MGUS is asymptomatic and that their symptoms must be caused by something other than MGUS.
The concluding remarks of the research below sums up the purpose of this post and of the Pre-MM Course-
“The challenge for healthcare providers is to use these clinical definitions and criteria as an aid rather than a hindrance to appropriate care for patients.”
The therapies presented in the course address:
- Immunodeficiency
- Bone Health
- Kidney Health
- Neuropathy and
- Heart Health
The challenge to the newly diagnosed pre-MM patient is that pre-MM is not cancer. Conventional oncology considers MGUS and SMM to be blood disorders.
Therefore, the FDA has not approved therapies to address any of the symptoms listed below. Fortunately, 000’s of studies document therapies that are not FDA approved. One of the best examples of this is curcumin.
Interestingly, curcumin has been shown not only to be cytoxic to monoclonal proteins (MM) but to also enhance kidney and heart health.
Have you been diagnosed with pre-MM? Has your oncologist told you to “watch and wait” or that your MGUS symptoms are not caused by your pre-myeloma?
man hand holding his nutritional supplemets, healthy lifestyle background.
If you’d like to learn more about MGUS or SMM email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com
Thank you,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS)—Not So Asymptomatic after All
“Non-IgM MGUS is derived from mature plasma cells that may progress to multiple myeloma (MM) [2]. In a minority of cases, MGUS can be identified as light chain only, which refers to the isolated secretion of κ or λ light chains of immunoglobulin [3].
Light chains derived from all variants of MGUS may aggregate in and impair organs such as the kidney and heart. Depending on the nature of light chain infiltration, amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis or light-chain deposition disease may be the pathophysiological process involved. MGUS is found in approximately 3% of the population over the age of 50 years, with a median age of presentation of 72 years [4]. In addition to increasing age, non-IgM MGUS is found more frequently in men and in Afro-Caribbean compared to Caucasian populations [5]…”
Immunodeficiency in MGUS
MGUS is a recognized cause of secondary antibody deficiency. The prevalence of MGUS increases with age [2], as does an age-related decline in immune function, or immunosenescence [64]…
Osteoporosis and Bone Fractures
While lytic bone lesions are a defining feature of symptomatic MM [11], a number of population-based studies have demonstrated an association between MGUS and low bone mineral density/osteoporosis, which, in turn, increases the risk of fractures within, or close to the axial skeleton [10].
The location of the fractures reflects classical sites of involvement by myeloma, suggesting shared pathophysiology, and may be related to elevated serum receptor activator of nuclear factor k-Β ligand/osteoprotegerin (RANK-L/OPG) ratios [12]….
Furthermore, the occurrence of these fractures in the context of MGUS does not herald progression to MM [13]…
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Renal Significance (MGRS)
The term monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) was first introduced in 2012 by the International Kidney and Monoclonal Gammopathy Research Group (IKMG) to describe a set of renal disorders that were characterized by the deposition of monoclonal immunoglobulin in the kidney [11,25,26]. MGRS currently encompasses all precursor B-cell or plasma cell clonal disorders that secrete a nephrotoxic monoclonal paraprotein…
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy describes the impairment of somatic (motor and sensory), enteric or autonomic neurons outside the central nervous system of the brain and spinal cord. There are many causes of peripheral neuropathy from systemic disorders, such as diabetes mellitus and nutrient deficiencies, to drug side-effects, as well as neuroanatomical causes such as vertebral radiculopathy…
Cardiovascular Disease in MGUS
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) comprises arterial (coronary, peripheral, and cerebrovascular), venous thromboembolic and structural myocardial disorders. A retrospective cohort study matched for age and sex found that patients with non-IgM MGUS experienced an increased risk of arterial diseases compared to controls, but a significantly lower risk compared to patients with MM…
Conclusions
The concept of comorbidity in the context of ‘asymptomatic’ precursors seems paradoxical. However, the disease processes are varied and represent a spectrum of pathology.
Medical science, and to a broader extent, human nature, tends to categorize continuous variables to facilitate comprehension of biology. However, such artificial categories may create barriers to our understanding of the pathology as a whole.
The challenge for healthcare providers is to use these clinical definitions and criteria as an aid rather than a hindrance to appropriate care for patients.
This review highlights the need to keep in mind that there is a need to manage the risks of patients as individuals rather than be bound by artificial criteria that may provide false reassurance. While it is imperative to ‘first do no harm’ and avoid the dangers of unnecessary therapy, a concerted effort is required to identify those for whom the benefits from therapies may improve quality of life, separate from an absence of malignant disease…”