Anakinra With or Without Dexamethasone in Treating Patients With Smoldering or Indolent Multiple Myeloma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* New or preexisting diagnosis of multiple myeloma

  \- Smoldering or indolent multiple myeloma meeting one of the following criteria:
  * Bone marrow plasma cells ≥ 10%
  * Serum monoclonal IgG or IgA protein ≥ 3.0 g/dL OR urine monoclonal light chain ≥ 1g by 24-hour urine protein electrophoresis
* Measurable disease
* Does not require immediate chemotherapy, in the opinion of the treating physician
* No active myeloma or primary amyloidosis requiring chemotherapy or any agents that may interact with anakinra (e.g., etanercept, infliximab, or thalidomide)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0
* Total WBC ≥ 3,500/mm\^3
* ANC ≥ 1,700/mm\^3
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal
* Able to self-inject medication or have a caregiver who can administer the drug
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* No acute or chronic infections, open wounds, or any active infection requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy within the past 12 weeks
* No active malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell carcinoma of the skin or carcinoma in situ of cervix

  \- Patients with a previously resected malignancy that does not require further treatment are eligible
* No New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV congestive heart failure
* No rheumatoid arthritis or other diseases requiring immunosuppressive therapy
* No asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, or any debilitating physical or psychiatric illness that, in the judgment of the investigator, would interfere with the conduct of the study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

\* More than 30 days since prior treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), clarithromycin, pamidronate, steroids, or any other agent that may affect M-protein