For some types of cancer, risk factors that account for the majority of cases are known. For example, smoking causes most lung cancers. This provides an opportunity for prevention. For other cancers, such as cervical cancer, precancerous changes can be detected early by the Pap test and treated before they develop into an invasive cancer.

With multiple myeloma, there are no risk factors you can avoid that are known to be responsible for most cases. And for those people with MGUS or solitary plasmacytomas there is no known way to prevent multiple myeloma from developing.

Last Medical Review: 02/13/2009
Last Revised: 05/12/2009