Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance: Follow-up Patterns in the United States and Concordance With Clinical Practice Guidelines

OBJECTIVE: To determine follow-up practice patterns of US patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and their concordance with 4 clinical practice guidelines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis of adult patients using the OptumLabs Data Warehouse database, we identified those who had an incident diagnosis of MGUS from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2013, no history or subsequent diagnosis of lymphoplasmacytic malignancy, and at least 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 11,676 patients with MGUS were included in the study. During the first 2 years after MGUS diagnosis, the distribution of patients by mean interval between visits was as follows: less than 6 months, 12.7%; every 6 to 12 months, 25.2%; every 13 to 24 months, 17.7%; and longer than 24 months, 44.4%. A higher proportion of patients were followed up at intervals of less than 13 months over time, from 32.7% to 41.1% (P<.001). Patients 60 years or older were more likely to be followed up at intervals of less than 13 months; those from the Northeast or younger than 50 years were more likely to be followed up at intervals longer than 24 months compared with their counterparts (P<.001). More than half of the patients 80 years or older were followed up at intervals of less than 6 months (12.3%), 6 to 12 months (27.8%), or 13 to 24 months (18.2%). Only approximately half of the patients (41.1%-58.8%) with MGUS diagnosed in 2013 were concordant with any of the 4 clinical guidelines. CONCLUSION: The MGUS follow-up practice patterns varied geographically and demographically and were frequently discordant with guideline recommendations. A large proportion of patients with limited life expectancy had frequent follow-up visits.