Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common form of haematological malignancy in the Western world after non-Hodgkin lymphoma, accounting for 18% of haematological malignancies and 1.8% of all cancers (1). It is a disease of later life with a median age at diagnosis of 70 years (2,3). It occurs more frequently in men and in people of African-Caribbean origin. The aetiology is unknown though there is an increased risk in those who are receiving immunosuppressive therapy or with human immunodeficiency virus infection. The median survival has improved substantially over the last decade from 3–4 years to 7–8 years (3,4).