To define the role of these soluble factors in progression of MM, plasma levels of IL-6, b-FGF, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), VEGF and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), as well as soluble receptors for IL-6 (sIL-6R) and VEGF (sVEGF-R2) were measured. Here, IL6R is linked to Miyoshi myopathy.