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| Reports on Overseas' Conferences and Meetings |
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Report on the 5th International Workshop on
Waldenström’s
Macroglobulinemia (IWWM) |
| Masako Iwanaga, Department of Molecular Medicine and Hematology |
The 5th International Workshop on Waldenström’s
Macroglobulinemia (WM) was held at Stockholm in Sweden on October 15 to 19, with
approximately 90 participants. I was invited as the speaker in the first session
of the Incidence and Predispositions to WM. (Abstract 102: Iwanaga M. Prevalence
of MGUS and WM in Japan).
This workshop on WM has been held every two years since 2000 to discuss about
epidemiological researches, molecular and genetic reaches, and clinical study
of WM, then to report scientific consensus. Most participants were invited speakers
and the remainder was the poster presentation by young researchers. I was a single
participant from Asia. The topics given me were two: "Prevalence of MGUS
in atomic bomb survivors” and "Incidence of WM in Japan". I suppose
that the first topic was given because our epidemiology researches of the Nagasaki
atomic bomb survivors were applauded (the related papers are listed on the bottom).
WM is a B-cell lymphoid malignancy with unclear disease definition. The disease
has two characteristics of multiple myeloma and malignant lymphoma. Lymphoplasmacytic
lymphoma (LPL) and Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) are synonyms.
In the 2nd workshop on WM in 2002, a panel discussion was held to discuss about
the definition of LPL/WM and published the consensus report in 2003. This year,
a heated panel discussion was focused to discuss about clinical trial and therapy
for WM.
As any malignant tumor, racial difference in incidence in multiple myeloma and
WM, both are B-lymphocytic malignant tumors, also reported recently. Not only
environmental factors but also genetic predisposition could be related with the
difference. The incidence rate of a multiple myeloma is higher in the Black than
the White, and that in Asians are low. On the other hand, incidence of WM is
definitely higher in the White than the Black, though there is no data of Asians.
In the workshop, I reported incidence of WM in Japan using data from regional
cancer registries. Further detailed investigations are required.
Attending this workshop was the first time for me. I heard that this year workshop
was the bigger than before because Dr. Jan Waldenström, a physician in Stockholm,
reported a first case of WM in 1944. A social banquet was held in the city hall
of Stockholm that is famous for the Nobel Prize. I stepped in there a little
before Dr. Shimomura, the OB of the Nagasaki University and the 2008 Nobel Prize
winner in chemistry.
The followings are study reports related with MGUS in Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors.
- Iwanaga M, et al. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance:
study of 52,802 persons in Nagasaki city, Japan. Mayo Clin Proc., 2007;
82:1474-1479.
- Iwanaga M, et al. Waldenstrom„fs Macroglobulinemia emerged in a patient
with a 10-year stable IgG Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance. Leuk
Res, 2009, 33, 193-195.
- Iwanaga M, et al. Relationship Between Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined
Significance and Radiation Exposure in Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors. Blood,
2009, 113, 1639-1650.
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