Multiple Myeloma Cancer Statistics


What is multiple myeloma?

Myeloma occurs when plasma cells (white blood cells) in the bone marrow grow and divide in an abnormal, uncontrolled way, reducing the bodies ability to produce normal blood cells. Multiple myeloma is when patients have multiple bone lesions at the time of diagnosis, which occurs in approximately 90% of cases.

You can access further information about multiple myeloma, including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from Cancer Council Victoria. You can also call our trusted cancer nurses on 13 11 20 for support and to learn about our range of services for people affected by cancer.

The Victorian Cancer Registry also operates an interactive web portal, Data Explorer, which provides more trends and statistics than published here.

How common is multiple myeloma?

In 2022, 620 Victorians were diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Of these, there were 366 males and 254 females, representing 59% and 41% of the total Victorian multiple myeloma diagnoses, respectively. Currently, multiple myeloma is diagnosed at a rate of 5.4 per 100,000 males and 3.5 per 100,000 females. The median age at diagnosis of multiple myeloma is 71 years in males and 72 in females (Figure 1 & 2). Accounting for 1.8% of all cancers diagnosed and 2% of all cancer-related deaths in 2022, multiple myeloma was the 16th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 17th most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Victoria in 2022.


Figure 1: Distribution of multiple myeloma incidence in 2022, by sex within age groups
3 1 8 6 38 41 78 57 129 81 110 68 0 50 100 Under 40 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ Age at diagnosis (years) Number of diagnoses in 2022 Male Female

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


Figure 2: Distribution of multiple myeloma incidence in 2022, compared to the distribution of the Victorian population in 2022, by 5-year age brackets
0% 4% 8% 12% 16% 20% Percentage of population Population distribution by age 0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+ -0.050 -0.025 0.000 0.025 0.050 0% 4% 8% 12% 16% 20% Percentage of population Multiple myeloma distribution by age

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)

Geographical variance in multiple myeloma by local government area

Figure 4 demonstrates variation in age-standardised incidence rates of multiple myeloma, by local government areas. Darker shading indicates areas with higher rates of multiple myeloma.


Figure 4: Variation in the incidence of multiple myeloma for the period 2018-2022, by location of residence in Victoria

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


Multiple myeloma in people born overseas

Figure 5 shows the age standardised incidence rates of multiple myeloma in Australian-born Victorians compared to other major migrant groups, over the five-year period 2017 to 2021. The highest age standardised incidence rate for mutlipe myeloma was 9.4 for males born in the Africa region and the lowest rate of 3.3 was observed in males born in the North-East Asia region. The highest age standardised incidence rate for multiple myeloma was 5.6 for females born in the South and Central America region and the lowest rate of 1.3 was observed in females born in the North-East Asia region.


Figure 5: Age standardised incidence rates and 95% confidence intervals for multiple myeloma in Victorians born in Australia compared to Victorians born in other countries for the period 2017-2021, by sex
020406080100North AmericaSouth and Central AmericaAfricaOther EuropeMiddle East and North AfricaSouthern EuropeUK and IrelandNorth-East AsiaSouth-East AsiaSouthern and Central AsiaAustralia and New Zealand
MaleAge standardised incidence rate (per 100,000)

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


020406080North AmericaSouth and Central AmericaAfricaOther EuropeMiddle East and North AfricaSouthern EuropeUK and IrelandNorth-East AsiaSouth-East AsiaSouthern and Central AsiaAustralia and New Zealand
FemaleAge standardised incidence rate (per 100,000)

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)



Multiple myeloma five-year relative survival

Figure 6 shows the change in 5-year survival for multiple myeloma, and the 5-year survival trend for all cancers over the same time period. It demonstrates that five-year relative survival has increased for multiple myeloma between 1982-1986 and 2017-2021 from 26% to 64%.

Figure 6: Trend in five year relative survival following diagnosis of multiple myeloma in five year brackets, from the period 1982-1986 to 2017-2021
0 20 40 60 80 100 1982-1986 1987-1991 1992-1996 1997-2001 2002-2006 2007-2011 2012-2016 2017-2021 Year 5-year relative survival (%) Five-year relative survival across all cancers

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)

This webpage was last updated in June 2024

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