Key Statistics About Multiple Myeloma

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The American Cancer Society’s estimates for multiple myeloma in the United States for 2024 are:

  • About 35,780 new cases will be diagnosed (19,520 in men and 16,260 in women).
  • About 12,540 deaths are expected to occur (7,020 in men and 5,520 in women).

In the United States, the average lifetime risk of getting multiple myeloma is less than 1% - about 1 in 103 for men and about 1 in 131 for women. But each person's risk might be higher or lower than this, based on their risk factors.

Multiple myeloma is most common in older people. Less than 1% of these cancers are diagnosed in people younger than 35. Most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma are at least 65 years old. The average age of people diagnosed is 69.

For statistics related to survival, see Survival Rates for Multiple Myeloma.

Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.

Written by
References

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2024. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2024.

National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Myeloma. 2024. Accessed at https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/mulmy.html on August 5, 2024.

Last Revised: August 27, 2024

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