The short answer
Multiple myeloma risk rises with age and is more than twice as common in Black people as in White people in the United States. A prior diagnosis of MGUS, a precursor condition, also raises risk. Most people diagnosed have no other clear risk factor.
Age is the strongest risk factor: most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma are 65 or older, and it is uncommon before age 35.
Multiple myeloma is more than twice as common in Black people as in White people in the United States, for reasons not fully understood.
A prior diagnosis of MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) or a solitary plasmacytoma raises the risk of later developing multiple myeloma.
Excess body weight, a family history in a parent or sibling, and certain radiation or chemical exposures (including Agent Orange) are linked to a modestly higher risk.
Choose how you want to understand this
The full explanation.
The simple version
A risk factor makes a disease somewhat more likely. It does not directly cause it in any one person. Most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma have no clear risk factor beyond age.
Most people with multiple myeloma cannot point to a specific cause. That is normal.
The main risk factors
- Age. Risk rises steadily with age. Most people diagnosed are 65 or older. Fewer than 1% are diagnosed before age 35.
- Sex. Multiple myeloma is somewhat more common in men than in women.
- Race. In the United States, myeloma is more than twice as common in Black people as in White people. The reasons are not fully understood.
- Family history. A parent or sibling with myeloma raises risk somewhat. Still, most people diagnosed have no family history of it.
- Excess body weight. Research links being overweight to a somewhat higher risk.
- A precursor plasma cell condition. MGUS stands for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. A past diagnosis of MGUS, or of a solitary plasmacytoma, raises the risk of later myeloma. Most people with MGUS never progress to it.
- Radiation and certain chemical exposures. Exposure to radiation may raise risk somewhat. So may certain chemicals, including Agent Orange.
What this means in practice
Age, race, and family history cannot be changed. So there is rarely a preventive action tied to this list. There is one practical exception. People already diagnosed with MGUS or a solitary plasmacytoma are usually followed with regular monitoring. A small percentage progress to active myeloma each year. Catching that change early lets treatment start when it is actually needed.
Living with this information
Risk factors do not guarantee disease will develop. Many people who develop myeloma have none of them. This list exists mainly to guide research and monitoring for people who already have a related finding. It does not explain why any one person was diagnosed.
Questions to ask
- Do I have a history of MGUS or a solitary plasmacytoma?
- Are there specific risk factors relevant to my case?
- Should any relatives be aware of a family risk?
Sources
Words to know
Tap any term to see what it means.
Common questions
What is MGUS, and does it mean I'll get multiple myeloma?
MGUS stands for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. It's a condition in which an abnormal protein is found in the blood, similar to what's seen in multiple myeloma, but without the organ damage or high levels that define active disease. Most people with MGUS never develop multiple myeloma; it progresses to myeloma in only a small percentage of people each year, which is why it is monitored rather than treated.
Why is multiple myeloma more common in Black people?
According to the American Cancer Society, multiple myeloma is more than twice as common in Black people than in White people in the United States. The reasons for this difference are not fully understood and are an active area of research; it does not appear to be explained by any single known risk factor.
Did my weight cause my multiple myeloma?
Research shows that being overweight is linked to a somewhat higher risk of multiple myeloma, but it is one factor among several, not a cause in any one person, and most people who are overweight never develop myeloma.
Can multiple myeloma be inherited?
Having a parent or sibling with multiple myeloma raises risk somewhat, but most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma have no family history of it. It is not considered a straightforwardly inherited disease.
Is there anything I could have done to prevent this?
For almost everyone, no. Most known risk factors, age, race, and family history, are not things a person can change, and most people diagnosed have no identifiable risk factor at all. This is not something you caused.
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Last updated: 2026-08-11Next planned review: 2027-08-03
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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