Association Between Kidney Function and Multiple Myeloma in a South Korean Population

Researchers of a study investigated the relationship between chronic kidney disease and multiple myeloma (MM) in a South Korean population. The findings were published in Cancer Research and Treatment.

In this study, researchers assessed 9809376 adults who participated in a nationwide health screening program and had no MM, cancer, or end-stage renal disease at baseline. They then analyzed the impact of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and random urine dipstick proteinuria, and interactive associations of those two factors on MM incidence.

After a mean follow-up of 8.3 years, the general incidence of MM was 4.8 per 100000 person-years. The results showed that study subjects with eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73m² (6%) had higher MM incidence than those with eGFR greater than or equal to 60 mL/min/1.73m² (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-1.43).

The researchers noted that when eGFR was graded into five levels, there was a significant inverse dose-response relationship between eGFR level and MM incidence at the lower eGFR levels. Moreover, the study found a dose-response relationship between degree of dipstick proteinuria and incidence of MM.

“Adults with decreased renal function indicated either by decreased eGFR or presence of proteinuria are at a higher risk of developing MM compared to those without, and there is a dose-response relationship between the severity of renal impairment and MM incidence,” the researchers concluded.