Genomic Abnormalities Among African Individuals With Monoclonal Gammopathies Using Calculated Ancestry

Monoclonal gammopathies, including multiple myeloma (MM), represent a group of plasma cell (PC) disorders that comprise of mostly incurable hematopoietic malignancies with an increasing incidence in the US. Previous epidemiological studies demonstrated a 2-3 fold higher incidence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and a similarly higher incidence of MM along with a ~4-year younger age of onset among African Americans (AA) compared to European Americans (EAs) (Fonseca, Leukemia, 2017). This suggests a possible ancestral-associated genetic predisposition of AAs to the development of monoclonal gammopathies (Landgren, Blood, 2006). When access to care is equal, AAs have a better overall survival compared to EAs suggesting that AAs may have a genetic predisposition that renders them better responders to treatment or have more favorable cytogenetic subtypes of MM (Waxman, Blood, 2010). Previous efforts to understand this disparity have relied on self-reported race rather than genetic ancestry. We hypothesize that quantifying genetic ancestry is necessary to fully understand the genetic mechanisms of racial disparities of monoclonal gammopathies.