November my M-spike was 1.6 (processed by Mayo). January it was 2.3 (processed by university hospital where my multiple myeloma specialist is) (see below)
Multiple myeloma specialist said I should anticipate variances between labs, but I feel 1.6 up to 2.3 was very concerning. Specialist said nothing has changed and labs would be repeated at end of April.
It has taken me over 6 months of significant physical decline to reach MGUS diagnosis by hematologist in December and then I saw the specialist in January to be established as a patient.
Can lab variances really be this extreme? I am worried I am smoldering multiple myeloma but I keep thinking, rhetorically, even if I am smoldering multiple myeloma, there is nothing to be done at this time either, so does it really matter that I went from 1.6 to 2.3 in less than 2 months?
My IgG has also gone up a lot (or do I just not know enough)?
Just as a point of reference:
- C - Calcium - 9.5 (Jan) vs 9.0 (Nov)
- R - Creatinine - 0.75 (Jan) vs 0.80 (Nov)
- A - Hemoglobin -12.1 (Jan) vs 11.8 (Nov)
- B - No lesions on any scans, but bone marrow biopsy was 8-10% (Dec)
Test January Result vs November Result
IgG 2557 (600-1700) vs 1840 (700-1600)
IgM 36 (35-290) vs 31 (40-230)
IgA 253 (40-400) vs 199 (70-400)
Monoclonal component typed as IgG kappa. Concentration of monoclonal protein determined by SPE is 2.3 (Jan) vs M-spike 1.6 g/dL (Nov)
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Re: Big increase in M-spike, or just a different lab?
There can be variations between labs. My oncologist changed labs, and I immediately saw a change in the serum free light chain (sFLC) numbers.
What you have to do is to let a few tests go by and see if a trend is developing. Thus, if your M-spike is higher with the new lab at the beginning, does it increase or stay flat from this point on over the next few times it is checked?
What you have to do is to let a few tests go by and see if a trend is developing. Thus, if your M-spike is higher with the new lab at the beginning, does it increase or stay flat from this point on over the next few times it is checked?
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Ron Harvot - Name: Ron Harvot
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Big increase in M-spike, or just a different lab?
There can indeed be very significant differences in lab numbers between different laboratories. My M-spike values vary about 33% between Quest and Labcorp. This has happened consistently with my last thee lab tests. As an example, Labcorp reported my last M-spike at 2.4 g/L. But Quest reports it as 3.2g/dL. Each time, the measurements were taken a week apart from one another.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Big increase in M-spike, or just a different lab?
Thank you! I actually do feel better and can try and put this on a shelf until the next round of testing. I am very grateful for this group!
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KBinNC - Name: KBinNC
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 48
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