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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffMonoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a condition in which an abnormal protein (monoclonal protein, or M protein) is in the blood. M protein is produced by plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance usually causes no problems. Sometimes, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance is either associated with another disease or can progress over years to other disorders, including some forms of blood cancer.
If you have monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, you'll usually have periodic checkups to monitor your level of M protein. If there's no increase, monoclonal gammopathy doesn't require treatment.
With close monitoring, if monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance does progress, you'll get earlier treatment.
- Rajkumar SV. Diagnosis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed April 3, 2013.
- Rajkumar SV. Clinical course and management of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed April 3, 2013.
- Blade J. Monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;355:2765.
- Rajkumar SV, et al. Advances in the diagnosis, classification, risk stratification, and management of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: Implications for recategorizing disease entities in the presence of evolving scientific evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2010;85:945.
- Therneau TM. Incidence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and estimation of duration before first clinical recognition. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2012;87:1071.
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