Experts can now develop more effective treatments and methods to identify people at risk of developing the incurable cancer of the blood-producing bone marrow, called myeloma. A new study explains the development of the disease from a symptomless blood disorder.

The study, published in Blood Cancer Journal, states that myeloma evolves from a relatively non-threatening condition called “monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance” (MGUS). According to the researchers, the older population mostly develop MGUS, which only progresses to cancer in one out of 100 cases.

However, the scientists noted in a press release that no methods are currently available to accurately predict who’s at risk of developing myeloma cancer from MGUS. Myeloma affects the plasma cells, the antibody-producing white blood cells in the bone marrow of the human body.

For the study, the researchers analysed the cellular chemistry of bone marrow and blood samples of random patients, comparing those with myeloma and MGUS with healthy participants. The team found that the patients with MGUS and those with myeloma have very few differences in the metabolic activity of their bone marrow, while healthy volunteers have a significantly different bone marrow activity.

Metabolism is the process that allows cells to produce energy and substances needed to support and perform cell functions. The researchers said that cancer cells can prompt metabolic changes that can cause their rapid growth.

"Our findings show that very few changes are required for a MGUS patient to progress to myeloma as we now know virtually all patients with myeloma evolve from MGUS,” said Dr Daniel Tennant, leader of the study from the University of Birmingham.

The team said that the “small changes” could cause key shifts in the bone marrow, which are needed to support myeloma growth. Myeloma is a devastating cancer; patients tend to suffer from debilitating and painful bone damage, and the disease is almost always fatal, according to Dr Matt Kaiser, head of research at Bloodwise, the UK’s biggest blood cancer charity that funded the study.

The researchers said that their study's findings provide the basis for developing new and more targeted treatments and minimally invasive methods in identifying MGUS patients that would develop myeloma. Discovering a method to block the progression of MGUS will allow experts to prevent many cases of myeloma in the future, Kaiser said.

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