![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132473049,imgsize-114380,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/lauren-laverne.jpg\" "\\"Lauren")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nLauren Laverne, well known from BBC 6 Music and as the host of \u2018Desert Island Discs\u2019, has revealed that she\u2019s facing a new health challenge: she\u2019s been diagnosed with smouldering myeloma, a rare disorder affecting blood and bone marrow. She announced this just under two years after celebrating remission from cancer, and that timing has really struck a chord with people following her story.Per The Independent, Laverne, now 48, told her Instagram followers about the diagnosis on Friday, July 17. This time, the picture is different: smouldering myeloma doesn\u2019t usually bring symptoms, and right now, she actually feels well. She isn\u2019t starting treatment because she simply doesn\u2019t need it at this stage \u2014 the doctors have reassured her that her personal risk of progression is “pretty low.”\u201cAt the moment, I feel OK and don\u2019t need treatment,\u201d she revealed via Instagram, adding, \u201cMost people my age who have it have no idea \u2013 it tends to be cancer survivors like me who are diagnosed early as we\u2019re so carefully monitored.\u201dHowever, Lavern added that \u201cit has nothing to do with my previous illness or my recent surgery\u201d.Since her announcement, the curiosity around smouldering myeloma has gone up.So, what exactly is smouldering myeloma? What does it mean for Lauren, or anyone else who hears this diagnosis?<\/p>\n Smouldering myeloma, sometimes written as smouldering multiple myeloma (SMM) in medical circles, is a disorder that affects plasma cells. Plasma cells are found in the bone marrow and help us fight infections by making antibodies. In smouldering myeloma, these cells start behaving strangely: they multiply more than they should and spit out an abnormal protein doctors call \u201cM protein.\u201dThe key here is that smouldering myeloma isn\u2019t full-blown cancer. It sits in the grey area: technically, it\u2019s called \u201cprecancerous\u201d or “pre-malignant” because it sometimes leads to active multiple myeloma, a serious blood cancer, but many people just live with it, symptom-free, for years. What\u2019s different from active myeloma is that you won\u2019t see the organ damage or the other tell-tale symptoms.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the tricky part, as no one completely understands what triggers smouldering myeloma. Medical researchers think it happens once plasma cells collect a few unlucky genetic changes over time. In some cases, it evolves from an even earlier condition called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance), which is actually pretty common among older adults and usually harmless. Most of the time, there isn\u2019t an obvious reason. Doctors are still digging into whether genetics, immune function, or environmental stuff play a role.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason smouldering myeloma often goes unnoticed: it almost never causes symptoms. You won\u2019t see obvious signs like bone pain, repeated infections, kidney issues, or anaemia, which are common in the fully active disease. Usually, people find out about it by accident \u2014 maybe a routine blood test throws up weird results, or, as in Laverne\u2019s case, a doctor pokes around because of low iron levels. She credits her GP for not letting that go and encourages people to trust their own gut when something feels off.<\/p>\n Smouldering myeloma is rare, but it shows up more often as people get older, especially after age 50. Men are slightly more likely than women to get it. Data show higher rates among people of African heritage. If you\u2019ve got MGUS or a family member with a plasma cell disorder, your odds bump up. For someone like Laverne, her regular checkups as a cancer survivor meant her diagnosis came early.<\/p>\n In most cases, the answer is: they wait. Or more accurately, they watch carefully. There\u2019s a lot of blood work, MRI and PET scans, and the occasional bone marrow check. The point isn\u2019t to rush into treatment, but to spot any sign the condition is moving toward active myeloma. People are also urged to keep up with vaccinations, pay attention to infections, and not skip scheduled tests. Because some people with smouldering myeloma have a slightly weakened immune system, infections can be a bigger deal.It\u2019s important to note that as of now, there\u2019s no cure for smouldering myeloma.But \u201cno cure\u201d doesn\u2019t mean \u201cno hope.\u201d Loads of people live for decades and never develop full-blown myeloma or need treatment. For folks at low risk, the usual path is called \u201cactive monitoring\u201d or \u201cwatch and wait,\u201d which means doctors track the numbers closely and only act if anything starts to change. For those at higher risk, sometimes early treatment is considered, often through clinical trials, to see if progression can be slowed or stopped.<\/p>\n For the unversed, Lauren Laverne was diagnosed with cancer in August 2024, and in November of that year, she announced she had received the all-clear.\u201cIt\u2019s been a lot, especially coming less than two years after my last diagnosis, but I know that seeing others in the public eye with comparable situations has helped me, so I thought I\u2019d be upfront about it,\u201d she wrote.Laverne\u2019s announcement offered a glimpse into how she\u2019s handling such a rare disease. In fact, Blood Cancer UK noted that over 53,000 people in the UK alone are being actively monitored for blood cancers or related conditions, including smouldering myeloma.\u201cI\u2019m sharing this as one of the many things I\u2019ve learned after going through health challenges in recent years is that talking about this stuff helps people,\u201d she wrote.Her doctor picked it up after spotting persistent low iron, and she\u2019s openly grateful. \u201cThis is the second big problem my GP has caught early and it is frankly impossible to adequately express my gratitude,\u201d she wrote.<\/div>\nSmouldering myeloma: What is this
What causes smouldering myeloma?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What are the early signs?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Who is at risk?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What about treatment? Is it curable?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What\u2019s ahead?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n