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Screening for M-proteinemia consisting of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and multiple myeloma for 30 years among atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima

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Abstract

Monoclonal gammopathy (M-proteinemia) is a premalignant plasma cell disorder. The prevalence of M-proteinemia increases with age and is affected by genetic or environmental factors. Atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors in Hiroshima are in an age range when they are susceptible to M-proteinemia. The prevalence and incidence of M-proteinemia in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors were investigated for 30 years (1989–2018) to examine the influence of radiation exposure. The overall prevalence of M-proteinemia among 38,602 A-bomb survivors was 2.4%. M-proteinemia prevalence at age 70 years and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) incidence were not associated with radiation exposure category. Males had a 2.30-fold higher prevalence and a 2.08-fold higher incidence than females. The risk of incidence for MGUS was 4.32-fold higher in persons aged < 10 years at the time of the A-bombing and 2.56-fold higher in those aged 10–19 years compared with those aged over 30 years. IgG type M-proteinemia was common and the IgM type developed 5–8 years later than other immunoglobulin types. Exposure to radiation was not clearly associated with the prevalence of M-proteinemia or incidence of MGUS in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors. However, males and those aged < 20 years at A-bombing had higher susceptibility to MGUS.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to R. Maeda, H. Ooshima, and T. Miyoshi for data management and preparation. This study was supported by a Yasuda Women’s University Research Grant in 2018 and 2019.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, Yasuda Women’s University, 6-13-1 Yasuhigashi Asaminami ward, Hiroshima City, 731-0153, Japan

    Kingo Fujimura & Keiko Katayama

  2. Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Causality Council, Hiroshima City, Japan

    Kingo Fujimura & Ryo Maeda

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima City, Japan

    Aya Sugiyama, Tomoyuki Akita, Masayuki Ohisa, Shintaro Nagashima, Keiko Katayama & Junko Tanaka

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  1. Kingo Fujimura
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  2. Aya Sugiyama
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  3. Tomoyuki Akita
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  4. Masayuki Ohisa
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  5. Shintaro Nagashima
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  6. Keiko Katayama
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  7. Ryo Maeda
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  8. Junko Tanaka
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Contributions

K. Fujimura conceived the project, designed the research, prepared the data base, and wrote the manuscript. J. Tanaka and other authors analyzed data and made the tables and figures. A. Maeda helped with data collection. All authors approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Kingo Fujimura.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Ethics approval

The study design was approved by ethics committees at Yasuda Women’s University (200004) and Hiroshima University (E-118).

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Fujimura, K., Sugiyama, A., Akita, T. et al. Screening for M-proteinemia consisting of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and multiple myeloma for 30 years among atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima. Int J Hematol 113, 576–585 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-020-03045-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-020-03045-y

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