My primary care physician has been concerned about my anemia and had me go to the hematology and medical oncology department at a local hospital. I was diagnosed early this week with MGUS and normocytic anemia.
I am 47, married, and the father of a 2 and 4 year old.
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Jeffrey - Name: Jeffrey
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Nobody
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 1/31/17, MGUS
- Age at diagnosis: 47
Re: Jeffrey, diagnosed with MGUS & normocytic anemia
Hi Jeffrey,
Welcome to the forum. Sorry you have to be here, but I think you'll find this a very helpful community.
Can you describe more about what sort of tests your doctors carried out to decide that you have MGUS? I'm just curious whether you had any x-rays or MRIs done, and what sort of results you might have had in terms of your M-spike ("abnormal protein", "monoclonal protein", etc), serum free light chain, immunogobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM), and hemoglobin and serum calcium levels.
Also, did you have a bone marrow biopsy?
The main reason I ask about these results is because you don't often see a diagnosis of MGUS combined with anemia.
Your M-spike would be on your serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) test results. The serum free light chain results are your kappa, lambda, and kappa-lambda ratio results, but you want to make sure they are from a serum (blood) test, and that they are FREE light chain levels, not TOTAL light chain levels.
Welcome to the forum. Sorry you have to be here, but I think you'll find this a very helpful community.
Can you describe more about what sort of tests your doctors carried out to decide that you have MGUS? I'm just curious whether you had any x-rays or MRIs done, and what sort of results you might have had in terms of your M-spike ("abnormal protein", "monoclonal protein", etc), serum free light chain, immunogobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM), and hemoglobin and serum calcium levels.
Also, did you have a bone marrow biopsy?
The main reason I ask about these results is because you don't often see a diagnosis of MGUS combined with anemia.
Your M-spike would be on your serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) test results. The serum free light chain results are your kappa, lambda, and kappa-lambda ratio results, but you want to make sure they are from a serum (blood) test, and that they are FREE light chain levels, not TOTAL light chain levels.
Re: Jeffrey, diagnosed with MGUS & normocytic anemia
Hi, Terry.
I talked with my doctor on Monday. He still considers me MGUS, but wants to have a bone biopsy done. I've had many test in the last six months, as I was hospitalized five days in September with pneumonia and was off work a month. My first oncology / hematology visit was at the end of January.
Free kappa and lambda light chains and ratio on Feb 1, 2017
Free kappa, 52.1 !
Free lambda,11.6
K/l ratio, 4.49 !
SPEP on Feb 4, 2017
Protein total 7.1
Albumin, 4.4 g/dl
Alpha-1, 0.3 g/dl
Alpha-2, 0.8
Beta-1, 0.4 g/dl
Beta-2, 0.2
Gamma globulin 1.1 g/dl
Monoclonal spike - serum 0.6 g/dl ! [m-spike] migrating in the gamma range.
Immunofixation interp on Jan 31, 2017, IgG kappa band present.
CBC, on Dec 16, 2016
WBC 10*3/uL 6.6
RBC 10*6/uL 3.95
Hgb g/dl 12.5 !
Hct% 37.4
MCH pg 31.6
MCHC g/dl 33.4
Platelet count 10*3/uL 314
RDW% 13.3
Neutrophils% 38.5
Lymphocytes% 46.2
Monocytes%6.5
Eosinophils% 8.2 !
Basophils% 0.6
Immature granulocytes% 0.2
neutrophils absolute 10*3/uL 2.54
Lymphocytes absolute 10*/uL 3.05
Monocytes absolute 10*3/uL
Eosinophils absolute 10.*3/uL 0.54
Basophils absolute 10*3uL
Immature granulocyte absolute 10*3/uL 0.01
Xray bone survey complete on Jan 31, 2017, no lytic lesions on skeleton, skull, pelvis, femurs, humerus.
These are the most recent tests.
Kind regards,
Jeff
I talked with my doctor on Monday. He still considers me MGUS, but wants to have a bone biopsy done. I've had many test in the last six months, as I was hospitalized five days in September with pneumonia and was off work a month. My first oncology / hematology visit was at the end of January.
Free kappa and lambda light chains and ratio on Feb 1, 2017
Free kappa, 52.1 !
Free lambda,11.6
K/l ratio, 4.49 !
SPEP on Feb 4, 2017
Protein total 7.1
Albumin, 4.4 g/dl
Alpha-1, 0.3 g/dl
Alpha-2, 0.8
Beta-1, 0.4 g/dl
Beta-2, 0.2
Gamma globulin 1.1 g/dl
Monoclonal spike - serum 0.6 g/dl ! [m-spike] migrating in the gamma range.
Immunofixation interp on Jan 31, 2017, IgG kappa band present.
CBC, on Dec 16, 2016
WBC 10*3/uL 6.6
RBC 10*6/uL 3.95
Hgb g/dl 12.5 !
Hct% 37.4
MCH pg 31.6
MCHC g/dl 33.4
Platelet count 10*3/uL 314
RDW% 13.3
Neutrophils% 38.5
Lymphocytes% 46.2
Monocytes%6.5
Eosinophils% 8.2 !
Basophils% 0.6
Immature granulocytes% 0.2
neutrophils absolute 10*3/uL 2.54
Lymphocytes absolute 10*/uL 3.05
Monocytes absolute 10*3/uL
Eosinophils absolute 10.*3/uL 0.54
Basophils absolute 10*3uL
Immature granulocyte absolute 10*3/uL 0.01
Xray bone survey complete on Jan 31, 2017, no lytic lesions on skeleton, skull, pelvis, femurs, humerus.
These are the most recent tests.
Kind regards,
Jeff
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Jeffrey - Name: Jeffrey
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Nobody
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 1/31/17, MGUS
- Age at diagnosis: 47
Re: Jeffrey, diagnosed with MGUS & normocytic anemia
Hi Jeffrey,
So you're M-spike is 0.6 g/dL and your kappa-lambda free light chain ratio is 4.49. You'll want to start tracking those values, as well as your kappa and lambda levels, your IgG, IgA, and IgM levels, and your hemoglobin, calcium, and creatinine levels. All of those readings will bounce around over time, so it's useful to track them so you can figure out the trends.
Forum member Multibilly, who has smoldering multiple myeloma, has shared some of his key lab results in a this thread:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/fenofibrate-tricor-and-multiple-myeloma-t2690.html
The most recent results he's shared can be found here:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post46149.html#p46149
You can see how his results have bounced around over time.
Your bone marrow biopsy will be important for determining whether MGUS is the correct diagnosis for you, or whether you have smoldering multiple myeloma. If your clonal plasma cell percentage is under 10 percent, then your diagnosis will continue to be MGUS.
It's a good sign that you do not have any lytic lesions, and your hemoglobin level is low but not so low to qualify as a "myeloma-defining event", or criterion for a diagnosis of symptomatic multiple myeloma, which usually would lead to treatment.
It would not be surprising given your lack of lytic lesions and comparatively low M-spike if your diagnosis remained MGUS after your bone marrow biopsy results come back. It's also possible that the plasma cell percentage might come in just above the 10 percent cutoff between MGUS and smoldering myeloma. It's not easy to say right now.
Good luck!
So you're M-spike is 0.6 g/dL and your kappa-lambda free light chain ratio is 4.49. You'll want to start tracking those values, as well as your kappa and lambda levels, your IgG, IgA, and IgM levels, and your hemoglobin, calcium, and creatinine levels. All of those readings will bounce around over time, so it's useful to track them so you can figure out the trends.
Forum member Multibilly, who has smoldering multiple myeloma, has shared some of his key lab results in a this thread:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/fenofibrate-tricor-and-multiple-myeloma-t2690.html
The most recent results he's shared can be found here:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post46149.html#p46149
You can see how his results have bounced around over time.
Your bone marrow biopsy will be important for determining whether MGUS is the correct diagnosis for you, or whether you have smoldering multiple myeloma. If your clonal plasma cell percentage is under 10 percent, then your diagnosis will continue to be MGUS.
It's a good sign that you do not have any lytic lesions, and your hemoglobin level is low but not so low to qualify as a "myeloma-defining event", or criterion for a diagnosis of symptomatic multiple myeloma, which usually would lead to treatment.
It would not be surprising given your lack of lytic lesions and comparatively low M-spike if your diagnosis remained MGUS after your bone marrow biopsy results come back. It's also possible that the plasma cell percentage might come in just above the 10 percent cutoff between MGUS and smoldering myeloma. It's not easy to say right now.
Good luck!
Re: Jeffrey, diagnosed with MGUS & normocytic anemia
Hi Terry,
Thanks for taking the time to welcome me and to look over my test results. I will monitor the tests and hopefully stay in the MGUS range.
Kind Regards,
Jeff
Thanks for taking the time to welcome me and to look over my test results. I will monitor the tests and hopefully stay in the MGUS range.
Kind Regards,
Jeff
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Jeffrey - Name: Jeffrey
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Nobody
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 1/31/17, MGUS
- Age at diagnosis: 47
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