Does being overweight increase the risk of developing multiple myeloma? (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/does-being-overweight-increase-risk-developing-multiple-myeloma)
Effects of Being Overweight on Risk of Multiple Myeloma
In this week's Ask Dr. Durie, IMF Chief Scientific Officer and multiple myeloma expert Dr. Brian G.M. Durie addresses a patient's concern about the association between obesity and the risk of myeloma.
Dr. Durie discusses recent findings presented at the European Hematology Association meeting in 2024 regarding the iStopMM project, which examines the occurrence and correlates of developing MGUS, the precursor of multiple myeloma. Obesity has been linked to an increased likelihood of developing multiple myeloma. Data from the IMF’s iStopMM trial revealed a strong correlation between increasing weight and the occurrence of MGUS, the precursor of multiple myeloma. Confirmation of these findings could establish weight as a risk factor for MGUS, potentially allowing for active intervention such as weight reduction. Further assessment is ongoing to determine if weight reduction interventions can alter the progression of MGUS to active myeloma.
The Bottom Line: The association between obesity and the risk of developing multiple myeloma, as highlighted in the iStopMM trial opens the door for potential interventions such as weight reduction to decrease the likelihood of MGUS progression to active myeloma.
This week's Ask Dr. Durie comes from a patient who is concerned because they've read that being overweight, obesity, is linked to the increased risk of myeloma. And the answer to this particular question is that yes, you are correct. Being overweight has been linked to an increased likelihood of developing multiple myeloma. And not only that, at the recent European Hematology Association meeting, the EHA meeting 2024, data were presented from the iStopMM project. This is the Iceland screening project looking at the occurrence and correlates of developing MGUS, which is the precursor of multiple myeloma. In a recent analysis from the iStopMM, it was noted that the greater the increase in the weight in patients who were obese, the greater the likelihood of developing MGUS. And so there was a very strong correlation between increasing weight and the increasing occurrence of MGUS.
And so this is extremely important because in Iceland, these patients are truly coming from a random screening. With other kinds of MGUS where patients might have gone for evaluation to the hospital maybe for being overweight, or having heart complications, or that kinds of things, it's actually hard to assess is MGUS really truly associated with being overweight? But in this case, it seems to be a true association.
And so the bottom line is that if additional assessment, which is ongoing does indeed confirm this, then we have a risk factor for MGUS, which has a potential for active intervention. We can indeed encourage weight reduction in some fashion. And then the question will be, if a patient has MGUS and attention is paid to the weight, can this change the likelihood of disease progression to the occurrence of active myeloma?
So this is actually quite an exciting new topic, and I personally look forward to the follow-on analysis, and the potential for active intervention to see if there is finally something that we can do to decrease the likelihood of progression from MGUS to active myeloma.
Dr. Brian G.M. Durie (1942-2025) was the co-founder of the IMF. He was a Professor of Medicine, Hematologist/Oncologist, and Honoree MD at the University of Brussels.