Can M-spike levels ever go down on their own if you have MGUS, or do they just tend to slowly climb?
I was diagnosed with MGUS in June with a small M-spike of 0.65 g/dL (6.5 g/L). At my first follow up last week, my M-spike was up to 0.76 g/dL. My light chains had gone down a very, small amount.
I thought I had asked my oncologist all the pertinent questions but forgot to ask him this one.
My CBC panel, metabolic panel and LDH are all normal.
Thank you in advance!
Victoria
Forums
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lonely artist - Name: Victoria Adams
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself with MGUS
- When were you/they diagnosed?: June 2017
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: Can M-spike levels go down if you have MGUS?
Hi Victoria,
M-spikes and free light chain numbers will normally fluctuate up and down over time. The time of day that you have your blood drawn and inherent errors and differences in lab equipment can also impact the lab values. Also, according to my oncologist, lab values tend to vary a bit more with smoldering and MGUS patients (he has no idea why).
To get an idea of how much my numbers have varied over 5 years (without any treatment), see this post from me in the thread about fenofibrate and multiple myeloma.
What you really care about are significant trends over time. While I'm not a doctor, the very small change in your M-spike that you reported here is nothing to worry about.
M-spikes and free light chain numbers will normally fluctuate up and down over time. The time of day that you have your blood drawn and inherent errors and differences in lab equipment can also impact the lab values. Also, according to my oncologist, lab values tend to vary a bit more with smoldering and MGUS patients (he has no idea why).
To get an idea of how much my numbers have varied over 5 years (without any treatment), see this post from me in the thread about fenofibrate and multiple myeloma.
What you really care about are significant trends over time. While I'm not a doctor, the very small change in your M-spike that you reported here is nothing to worry about.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Can M-spike levels go down if you have MGUS?
Thank you for explaining this, Multibilly. I feel much better now. I’ve been reading so many of your posts here and am learning so much from your vast pool of knowledge. Just wish you didn’t need to have come by it firsthand.
My oncologist has already begun graphing my results. He showed me at my appointment and I have access to the graphs via my patient portal. Seeing yours at five years since diagnosis shows me how valuable a tool this will be when I have much more than two numbers on mine.
Again, many many thanks!
Victoria
My oncologist has already begun graphing my results. He showed me at my appointment and I have access to the graphs via my patient portal. Seeing yours at five years since diagnosis shows me how valuable a tool this will be when I have much more than two numbers on mine.
Again, many many thanks!
Victoria
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lonely artist - Name: Victoria Adams
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself with MGUS
- When were you/they diagnosed?: June 2017
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: Can M-spike levels go down if you have MGUS?
Hi Victoria -
Yes, M-spikes can go down. Almost 6 years ago I started with an (IgG) M-spike of 1.5 g/dL (15 g/l) and two years ago it was 0.8 g/dL. During the 4 years of measuring the spike, the main change was lowering my Synthroid dose from 112 mcg (or 100 mcg) to 88 mcg. Haven't a clue if this affected the spike.
Good luck - Diane
Yes, M-spikes can go down. Almost 6 years ago I started with an (IgG) M-spike of 1.5 g/dL (15 g/l) and two years ago it was 0.8 g/dL. During the 4 years of measuring the spike, the main change was lowering my Synthroid dose from 112 mcg (or 100 mcg) to 88 mcg. Haven't a clue if this affected the spike.
Good luck - Diane
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DianeM
4 posts
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