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Are these free light chain results possible?

by Lacerta on Sun Nov 29, 2015 6:14 pm

Hi,

I already have a post on this forum, with information of my mother's diagnosis and laboratory results.

I'm trying to interpret the free light chain results and something must be wrong.

Date: October 26, 2015

lg kappa 4610.0 :?: This is very high, is it possible?
lg lambda 1.4

kappa/lambda ratio 3414.8 :?:

Date: November 3, 2015

lg kappa 77.7
lg lambda 13.8

kappa/lambda ratio 5.6

Thanks for help.

Lacerta
Who do you know with myeloma?: Mother
When were you/they diagnosed?: Autumn 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Multibilly on Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:45 pm

Hi Ron,

What are the units of measure for all of these numbers you listed, including their normal reference ranges? There are different kinds of light chain measurements, so I want to be sure we are talking about the right ones.

Multibilly
Name: Multibilly
Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Lacerta on Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:48 pm

It is mg/L

Lacerta
Who do you know with myeloma?: Mother
When were you/they diagnosed?: Autumn 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Multibilly on Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:54 pm

That helps a bit, but what are the normal ranges that are specified in the lab results for the kappa, lambda and kappa/lambda ratio values? This will tell me which test(s) are being used. I also want to make sure you are comparing two of the same kind of light chain tests.

Multibilly
Name: Multibilly
Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Lacerta on Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:17 pm

It says:

lgG kappa 37 g/L (7.3-14.4)
IgG 65.9 g/L H(6.1-14.9)
IgA 0.21 g/L L(07-4.3)
IgM 0.09 L(0.4-2.1).

kappa, free H(4.0-25.0)
lambda, free L(6.0-27.0)
kappa/lambda ratio H(0.5-1.6)

I assume H is for heavy and L is for light.

Lacerta
Who do you know with myeloma?: Mother
When were you/they diagnosed?: Autumn 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Multibilly on Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:13 pm

First I'm not a doc, so please verify with your doc.

Based on the reference values you provided, these are not from a standard serum free light chain (FLC) assay test (aka Freelite assay). However, the reference ranges you mentioned are "sort of" close to the ranges of a Freelite assay test. The Freelite assay is the standard test one uses to monitor free light chains.

But, to try to answer your question, it is possible to have a serum kappa free light value as high as 4610 mg/L (assuming for the moment this value was from a Freelite assay).

Note that the "H" and the "L" on a lab result usually means either a value that is higher or lower than the normal range, respectively.

Also, if a person has a high kappa FLC value, coupled with a low lambda FLC value and a high kappa/lambda ratio, this could signify that your mom was also experiencing bone marrow suppression in addition to a monoclonal gammopathy when she got her first test. See this site for an explanation of bone marrow suppression:

http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/diagnosis-and-treatment/managing-side-effects/bone-marrow-suppression/?region=on

In any case, this was a pretty remarkable change in the FLC numbers in such a short period of time. Others will need to comment if they have seen such a rapid improvement in such a short amount of time.

The other thing I notice is that your mom's IgG was high, while her IgA and IgM were suppressed. This can often happen with multiple myeloma patients and is a phenomemon known as "immunoparesis".

Lastly, it would be good to go back and look at the serum protein electrophoresis test (SPEP) and see if you can find her "M-spike". This may be listed as an M-protein, monoclonal protein, paraprotein, abnormal protein band, etc (assuming she has an M-spike). You also want to track the M-spike and not just the FLCs (again, assuming she had an M-spike to begin with).

Multibilly
Name: Multibilly
Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Lacerta on Mon Nov 30, 2015 7:25 am

Thanks for reply.

I do not find serum protein electrophoresis test (SPEP) or "M-spike" values among the papers.

I will call the doctors to ask.

Lacerta
Who do you know with myeloma?: Mother
When were you/they diagnosed?: Autumn 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Lacerta on Mon Dec 07, 2015 4:31 pm

I'm not sure if this is the right measure for M-spike, but it says M-comp more than 100 lgG kappa, which falls to 48 after first treatment (Velcade).

Lacerta
Who do you know with myeloma?: Mother
When were you/they diagnosed?: Autumn 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Multibilly on Mon Dec 07, 2015 4:48 pm

Lacerta,

What are the units of measure for the M-component values? Are they "g/L"?

Multibilly
Name: Multibilly
Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012

Re: Are these free light chain results possible?

by Lacerta on Mon Dec 07, 2015 5:06 pm

The unit is not stated in the papers I have. It is not the report from the laboratory, but a summary from the doctor. Although, according to different Norwegian webpages, g/L seems to be the common unit.

Lacerta
Who do you know with myeloma?: Mother
When were you/they diagnosed?: Autumn 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

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