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Clinical prevalence (diagnosed cases) of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in the US: estimating the burden on health care

Leukemia volume 30, pages 1443–1446 (2016)Cite this article

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Current information on the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is mostly derived from serologic testing of asymptomatic individuals in the population.1 This serologic prevalence is estimated to be 3200/100 000 and 5840/100 000 for individuals >50 years among predominantly White and Black populations, respectively.2, 3 However, in practice, MGUS is almost always discovered during the evaluation of symptomatic patients suspected of having lymphoplasmacytic cancers. Therefore, the serologic prevalence overestimates the prevalence of diagnosed MGUS (henceforth clinical prevalence). In Olmsted County, Minnesota, only 22% of MGUS among patients ⩾50 years are clinically detected. However, this is likely an overestimation of the true clinical prevalence in the US, as Olmsted County is primarily served by Mayo Clinic, an institution with longstanding clinical interest and laboratory expertise in MGUS.4 The clinical prevalence of MGUS in the rest of the US is largely unknown.

Current guidelines recommend long-term follow-up of MGUS because of the risk of transformation to lymphoplasmacytic cancers.5 While the value of this practice remains debatable, two recent population studies have shown potential benefits of MGUS follow-up.6, 7 From the public health standpoint, it is essential to determine the clinical prevalence of MGUS to assess the healthcare burden and cost of MGUS follow-up since the vast majority of MGUS will remain undiagnosed and never become a health issue. We estimated the clinical prevalence of MGUS in the US using a large administrative claims database and the cost to healthcare.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Mayo Clinic Robert D and Patricia E Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery and the Division of Hematology. RSG is a Kern Health Care Delivery Scholar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA,

    R S Go

  2. Robert D and Patricia E Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    R S Go, K M Swanson, L R Sangaralingham, E B Habermann & N D Shah

  3. Optum Labs, Cambridge, MA, USA

    N D Shah

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  1. R S Go
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Correspondence to R S Go.

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Go, R., Swanson, K., Sangaralingham, L. et al. Clinical prevalence (diagnosed cases) of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in the US: estimating the burden on health care. Leukemia 30, 1443–1446 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2015.336

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