|
A risk factor
is anything that changes a person's chance of getting a disease.
Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, unprotected
exposure to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking
is a risk factor for many cancers.
Researchers have found a few risk factors that make a person
more likely to develop Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). However,
most people with these risk factors never develop the disease. Even if
a patient with WM does have one or more risk factors, it is impossible
to know for sure how much that risk factor contributed to causing the
cancer.
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined
significance
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is
an abnormality of antibody-producing cells that is related to multiple
myeloma and WM. In MGUS, like WM and multiple myeloma, abnormal cells
in the bone marrow make a large amount of one particular antibody --
this is called a monoclonal
gammopathy. As long as the patient has no problems from
the abnormal cells or the antibody, it is called MGUS. Generally, the
abnormal cells in MGUS make up less than 10% of the bone marrow and the
amount of abnormal protein in the blood is not very high
(<3g/dl). In most cases, MGUS causes no health problems, but up
to 25% of people with MGUS will go on to be diagnosed with a cancer
(either multiple myeloma, WM, or another lymphoma) over the 20 years
after diagnosis.
Age
The risk of WM goes up with age. It is rare among people
younger than 50 years old.
Race
WM is more common among whites than among African Americans.
In contrast, multiple myeloma is about twice as common among African
Americans as white Americans. The reasons for these differences are not
known.
Sex
Men are more likely than women to develop this disease.
Heredity
Genetic factors may play a role. In one study, about 5% of
patients with WM had a close relative with the disease, and another 15%
of WM patients had a relative with another type of lymphoma.
Hepatitis C
A recent study has shown that people with chronic hepatitis C
infection develop WM over twice as often as people without the virus.
Last Medical Review: 08/04/2009
Last Revised: 08/04/2009
|
