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- Page navigation anchor for Detecting multiple myeloma in primary care and resource-limited settings: clues from common laboratory investigations.Detecting multiple myeloma in primary care and resource-limited settings: clues from common laboratory investigations.Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hard-to-suspect cancer, characterized by clonally proliferating plasma cells secreting high amounts of monoclonal immunoglobulins (M-protein). Since the symptoms are non-specific and the specific laboratory tests are sophisticated (viz. serum protein electrophoresis, free light-chain assays, bone marrow biopsy, etc.), it is not unlikely to diagnose MM quite late (after end-organ damage) or miss it altogether if available healthcare infrastructure is modest.1 In this context, the report by Koshiaris et al,2, which explored the utility of simple blood tests (such as ESR, haemoglobin, calcium, creatinine, etc.) for identifying MM in primary-care setting was of much interest. The findings are insightful and indicate that inexpensive and readily-available tests may assist and expedite MM diagnosis. Diagnostic algorithms incorporating these tests2 in combination with selected clinical features3 could be particularly useful for general physicians from developing economies and resource-constrained settings, aiding them in considering the possibility of MM early on and making judicious referrals.Interestingly, presence of M-protein may interfere with several (routinely requested) laboratory tests.4 Such interferences cause spurious results which are biologically implausible or not commensurate with the clinical presentation, e.g. ext...Competing Interests: None declared.