The epidemiology of multiple myeloma in Australia

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a B-cell malignancy morphologically characterized by a monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. The causes of MM are poorly understood and its prognosis is poor. Our over arching research question is 'are there lifestyle-related (potentially modifiable) factors associated with MM risk?' In Australia the lifestyle exposures that are potentially modifiable, and sufficiently prevalent to make a measurable difference if changed, include body size and obesity, diet and nutrition (including alcoholic beverages) and sun exposure. Another issue that requires further resolution is exposure to pesticides. This is a population-based family-case-control study of MM, collecting valid, reliable estimates of lifetime personal exposure to selected risk factors and sampling blood for genotyping and future biomarker studies. We will examine associations between lifestyle exposures, common genetic variants and MM risk, collect and validate case pedigrees including cancer history, to perform risk prediction modeling and to identify MM families for gene-discovery projects.