BMC Seminar - screening a nation for monoclonal gammopathies: The iStopMM study

BMC Seminar Thursday 27th of March at 12:30-13:10 in Askja, room N-132

Speaker: Dr. Sæmundur Rögnvaldsson, Research Specialist, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland

Title: What we have learned from screening a nation for monoclonal gammopathies: The iStopMM study

Abstract: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that often presents with severe end organ damage diagnosis that limits the application of effective therapies and leads to early mortality. However, MM develops over years or decades from its precursor, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). This asymptomatic precursor is common at around 4-5% over the age of 40 and can easily be detected in blood. However, it rarely goes diagnosed and only ~5% of those with MM had previously been diagnosed with MGUS. Identifying those with MGUS presents a clinical opportunity to identify early advanced disease and initiate early treatment, preventing debilitating advanced MM. Furthermore, by studying these individuals and their underlying disease process over time we may gain valuable insights into how MM and related malignancies develop from their precursors. The Iceland Screens, Treats, or Prevents Multiple Myeloma study (iStopMM) is the largest study to date on these disorders and has the aim of assessing the clinical utility of population-based screening for MGUS. All Icelanders over 40 were offered screening in the study and 75,422 individuals (53% of the eligible national population) provided a screening sample for the study. Those with MGUS were then randomized to either follow-up or usual care which is not being notified. In his talk Dr. Rögnvaldsson will present some of the early findings of the study and describe some of the ongoing work leveraging the unique dataset and study cohort, including a large study biobank with repeated samples from those with MGUS, assembled as part of the iStopMM study.