[whitneyvt]

M-spike has dropped, but IgA & IgM have increased?

by whitneyvt on Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:03 am

Good Morning,

I am confused by my father's test results.

His M-spike has dropped, but his other levels have increased. He has been off of Revlimid, Velcade, and dexamethasone (RVD) since July 23. I believe he only completed one cycle of RVD before he had to have serious back surgery at the end of July and then caught pneumonia in physical rehab. They stopped his treatment so he could heal from both the surgery and the pneumonia. He will hopefully start RVD treatment again next week when he is discharged from rehab.

In the meantime, could someone please help me understand what these results since June mean?

Thank you in advance. Still trying to learn about all of this. He has an appointment with his oncologist in 2 weeks and I plan to attend.

(All dates are this year: 2016)

Test Jun 11 Jul 14 Aug 22

Kappa FLC 28.04 1.90 17.14 (0.33-1.94 mg/dL)
Lambda FLC 0.87 0.74 1.91 (0.57-2.63 mg/dL)
Kappa-Lambda FLC Ratio 32.2299 2.5676 8.9738 (0.2600-1.6500)

IgA 27 98 (70-400 mg/dL)
IgG 6552 2195 (700-1600 mg/dL)
IgM 21 58 (40-230 mg/dL)

M1 Band gm/dL 5.50 3.44 1.73 0
Albumin Elect 3.25 3.08 2.92 (3.60-6.00 gm/dL)
Alpha1-Globulin 0.15 0.13 0.23 (0.10-0.30 gm/dL)
Alpha2-Globulin 0.64 0.68 0.89 (0.40-0.90 gm/dL)
Beta Globulin 0.60 0.57 0.69 (0.50-1.00 gm/dL)
Gamma Globulin 5.65 3.74 2.07 (0.50-1.30 gm/dL)
Total Prot Elec 10.3 8.2 6.8 (6.1-8.0 gm/dL)

[Multibilly]

Re: M-spike has dropped, but IgA & IgM have increased?

by Multibilly on Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:34 am

This is all good. His previously suppressed IgA and IgM levels have improved and are now in the normal range (you want this). And his IgG that was raised by the multiple myeloma has decreased because his M1 band (M-spike) has gone down (you also want this). And his free light chain ratio has also come down (you also want this) and is getting closer to normal.

[whitneyvt]

Re: M-spike has dropped, but IgA & IgM have increased?

by whitneyvt on Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:39 am

Thank you, Multibilly, for such a quick response. I feel much better now. Some days I feel like I have a good understanding about multiple myeloma, and some days I feel like I know nothing and am quite anxious about it all. Thank you for your reassurance.

[Wobbles]

Re: M-spike has dropped, but IgA & IgM have increased?

by Wobbles on Tue Sep 13, 2016 12:01 pm

I think your Dad’s test results look pretty good considering that he has had only one cycle of his Revlimid, Velcade, and dexamethasone (RVD) treatment. Both IgA and and IgM have increased enough to be in the normal region. This is good, as it means his immune system should be func­tioning better than it was. Also, his IgG and gamma globulins have both decreased. This is also good news as it probably means that your Dad’s M proteins have decreased.

I think your Dad’s treatment had just started to work, but unfortunately he had to stop due to other health concerns.

It is possible that some of his increase in IgA and IgM levels was caused by his pneumonia stimulating his bone marrow to produce more immunoglobulins, but this is still a good news story, as healthy immune systems do react to the presence of disease.

His next blood tests, after resumption of treatment, will be quite telling. Let’s hope that his treatment resumes where it left off.

Joe