Features of myeloma (all ages)
| Feature | Cases, n (%) n = 2703 | Controls, n (%) n =12 157 | Likelihood ratioa (95% CI) | Odds ratio in multivariable analysisb (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | ||||
| Back pain: 1–6 | 766 (28) | 753 (6) | 4.6 (4.2 to 5.0) | 2.2 (2.0 to 2.4)c |
| Chest pain: 1–3 | 397 (15) | 531 (4) | 3.4 (3.0 to 3.8) | 1.6 (1.4 to 1.8)c |
| Chest infection: 1–2 | 319 (12) | 770 (6) | 1.9 (1.7 to 2.1) | 1.4 (1.2 to 1.6)c |
| Shortness of breath: 1–2 | 277 (10) | 661 (5) | 1.9 (1.7 to 2.2) | 1.3 (1.1 to 1.5)c,d |
| Nausea | 162 (6) | 228 (2) | 3.2 (2.6 to 3.9) | 1.5 (1.1 to 2.1)e |
| Fracture | 159 (6) | 201 (2) | 3.6 (2.9 to 4.6) | 3.1 (2.3 to 4.2) |
| Joint pain | 118 (4) | 358 (3) | 1.5 (1.2 to 1.8) | 1.6 (1.2 to 2.2)f |
| Combined bone pain | 108 (4) | 112 (0.7) | 4.3 (3.3 to 5.6) | 2.1 (1.4 to 3.1)d |
| Weight loss | 107 (4) | 86 (0.7) | 5.6 (4.2 to 7.1) | 3.0 (2.0 to 4.5) |
| Rib pain | 80 (3) | 47 (0.4) | 7.7 (5.4 to 11.0) | 2.5 (1.5 to 4.4)d |
| Nosebleeds | 76 (3) | 78 (0.6) | 4.4 (3.2 to 6.0) | 3.0 (1.9 to 4.7) |
| Investigations | ||||
| Cytopenia | 1309 (48) | 1109 (9) | 5.3 (5.0 to 5.7) | 5.4 (4.6 to 6.4) |
| Raised inflammatory markers | 1146 (42) | 753 (6) | 6.8 (6.3 to 7.4) | 4.9 (4.2 to 5.8) |
| Raised creatinine | 648 (24) | 1021 (8) | 2.9 (2.6 to 3.1) | 1.8 (1.5 to 2.2) |
| Raised mean corpuscular volume | 347 (13) | 250 (2) | 6.2 (5.3 to 7.3) | 3.1 (2.4 to 4.1) |
| Hypercalcaemia | 246 (9) | 44 (0.35) | 26 (18 to 35) | 11.4 (7.1 to 18) |
↵a The univariate likelihood ratio, showing the likelihood of having a specific symptom in a patient with myeloma, compared with the likelihood of having it in a patient without cancer.
↵b In multivariate conditional logistic regression, containing all 16 variables.
↵c The odds ratio for these four variables is for each attendance with the symptom; for back pain this is up to the sixth attendance, for chest pain the third, and for chest infection and shortness of breath the second attendance.
↵d P = 0.001.
↵e P = 0.006.
↵f P = 0.002.