In 2017, an estimated 2,900 new cases of multiple myeloma will be diagnosed and approximately 1,450 myeloma-associated deaths.
In the period from 2003 to 2012, the annual percentage rate in mortality rate was 0.9% in men and -1.8% in women.
The average age at diagnosis is 62 years for men and 61 years for women, with only 4% of cases diagnosed in individuals under the age of 45.
The incidence of myeloma varies from country to country, from a low of fewer than one per 100,000 people in China, to a high of about four per 100,000 people in most western industrialized countries.
Incidence, prevalence and mortality, what's the difference?
INCIDENCE: The number of new cases diagnosed in a year.
MORTALITY: The number of deaths attributed to cancer.
PREVALENCE: The total number of cases of a disease at a specific time.
Prevalence is influenced by both the incidence and the mortality rate. Prevalence increases when survival rates increase, even though incidence remains the same.
As multiple myeloma patients live longer, the prevalence increases.
