Monday, December 1, 2008 - 1:06PM EST

Introduction to Multiple Myeloma

Multiple Myeloma Statistics

  • Multiple myeloma represents only about 1% of all cancers, however, it accounts for about 10% of all hematologic malignancies (cancers of the blood).

  • The annual incidence of multiple myeloma in the U.S. is about 4.3 cases per 100,000 people.

  • Approximately 15,000 new cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

  • Multiple myeloma occurs slightly more frequently in men than in women.

  • The incidence of multiple myeloma is twice as high in African Americans than in white persons. The disease is rarely observed in individuals of Asian descent.

  • Multiple myeloma is considered a disease of older persons with a mean age of disease onset of 66 years. It is rarely observed in people under age 40 who only account for about 2% of all cases.