Variants associated multiple myeloma

Genetic variants associated with multiple myeloma are reported this week in Nature Genetics. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow, leading to formation of bone tumors. It is the second most common hematological malignancy, and is found more commonly in men and individuals over 65 years of age. Richard Houlston and colleagues report a genome-wide association study in 1,675 individuals with multiple myeloma and 5,903 healthy controls, including studies from the UK and Germany. They identify two genomic regions associated with risk. This suggests pathways that may be involved in susceptibility to multiple myeloma.