Monoclonal Gammopathy in General Practice

The clinical diagnoses in all 88 cases of monoclonal gammopathy, detected by general practitioners in Northern Jutland during a 3-year period, were investigated: 15% had malignant monoclonal gammopathy, 5 % had non-haematologic cancers, and in 80 % a benign disorder was found. These results indicate that the fmding of a monoclonal gammopathy in general practice deserves attention, but it is rarely accompanied by a grave prognosis. Malignant monoclonal gammopathy should be suspected, but search for another type of cancer is not indicated. Key wordr: monocbnal gammopufhy, malignant monoclonal gammopafhy, monoclonal gammoputhy of undetemtined signijkance, clinical diagnosis, general practice. E. B. Schmidt, Sct. Jergensgade 11, 4, DK-9000 Aalborg, Denmark. Monoclonal gammopathy (MG) is characterized by proliferation of a single clone of cells with the capacity of synthesizing and secreting homogeneoushdentical immunoglobulins or some of these.