Hello all.
I'm new here.
I am being tested for multiple myeloma and I'm wondering if these results suggest I have the disease.
It started with high IgA of 591.
SPEP Interpretation: increased beta globulin. Possible restriction (spike) in the beta region.
Kappa/lambda FLC Ratio: 1.37
Immunofixation Interpretation:
No M-protein detected.
Immunofixation reveals a polyclonal increase in IgA.
All other tests in normal range. Does the signal a good chance of multiple myeloma?
Thank you all ahead of time.
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8 posts
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Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
Hi there,
Your immunofixation shows a polyclonal increase in IgA, not a monoclonal one, so that's good news.
Your immunofixation shows a polyclonal increase in IgA, not a monoclonal one, so that's good news.
Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
What does that mean then? I'm so new to this and test after test keeps coming every day and the doctor is waiting for them all.
Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
So sorry, my bad I'm assuming prior knowledge. Basically, on this topic, I think of monoclonal as bad and polyclonal as good. Polyclonal is the natural healthy state and monoclonal is not. Your immunofixation (IFE) didn't mention anything monoclonal, which it would have had it been there, and that would have been one indication of a potential problem. But it wasn't there, so that is good news.
I'm not a doctor, though, so you still need to defer to your doctor on these matters.
I'm not a doctor, though, so you still need to defer to your doctor on these matters.
Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
Hello Swinky,
It's obviously frustrating to get just these bits and pieces, but Taco Cat is correct that high polyclonal IgA by itself is not indicative of myeloma. There are many inflammatory, non-cancerous conditions that can produce it, so try not to worry.
What symptoms caused you to have testing done? Or is this an accidental discovery situation where one thing led to another to another, etc.
It's obviously frustrating to get just these bits and pieces, but Taco Cat is correct that high polyclonal IgA by itself is not indicative of myeloma. There are many inflammatory, non-cancerous conditions that can produce it, so try not to worry.
What symptoms caused you to have testing done? Or is this an accidental discovery situation where one thing led to another to another, etc.
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Foundry738 - Name: Biclonal
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2016
- Age at diagnosis: 67
Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
Hi Swinky,
Allow me to add a little color to what Biclonal and Top Cat said.
When a group of cells is found to be monoclonal, that means that all of those cells are identical, malfunctioning (cancerous) copies of themselves that originated from one bad parent cell line. These monoclonal cells can wreak havoc in the body and unfortunately do not experience a normal cellular life cycle.
The normal, healthy state of affairs is for cells to multiply in a polyclonal fashion. Put another way, your cells should originate from many different cell lines with slight differences (this is where the term "polyclonal" comes from) and all coexist nicely.
In your case, you appear to have an excess of polyclonal IgA cells. So, while your doctor should look into this, the good news is that you very likely don't have myeloma (which is a type of cancer that usually produces malfunctioning, monoclonal immunoglobulins such as monoclonal IgA or monoclonal IgG that ultimately originated from cancerous, monoclonal plasma cells).
See this article for what might be behind a polyclonal increase in your IgA:
"Increased serum [IgA] immunoglobulin concentrations occur due to polyclonal or oligoclonal immunoglobulin proliferation in hepatic disease (hepatitis, liver cirrhosis), connective tissue diseases, acute and chronic infections ..."
As Biclonal mentioned, it would be good to know what caused your doctor to test for myeloma in the first place. Was it your high IgA level?
Allow me to add a little color to what Biclonal and Top Cat said.
When a group of cells is found to be monoclonal, that means that all of those cells are identical, malfunctioning (cancerous) copies of themselves that originated from one bad parent cell line. These monoclonal cells can wreak havoc in the body and unfortunately do not experience a normal cellular life cycle.
The normal, healthy state of affairs is for cells to multiply in a polyclonal fashion. Put another way, your cells should originate from many different cell lines with slight differences (this is where the term "polyclonal" comes from) and all coexist nicely.
In your case, you appear to have an excess of polyclonal IgA cells. So, while your doctor should look into this, the good news is that you very likely don't have myeloma (which is a type of cancer that usually produces malfunctioning, monoclonal immunoglobulins such as monoclonal IgA or monoclonal IgG that ultimately originated from cancerous, monoclonal plasma cells).
See this article for what might be behind a polyclonal increase in your IgA:
"Increased serum [IgA] immunoglobulin concentrations occur due to polyclonal or oligoclonal immunoglobulin proliferation in hepatic disease (hepatitis, liver cirrhosis), connective tissue diseases, acute and chronic infections ..."
As Biclonal mentioned, it would be good to know what caused your doctor to test for myeloma in the first place. Was it your high IgA level?
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
I have been having all the classic signs of multiple myeloma. I recently had po parathyroid surgery. A submandibular gland was calcified and had to be removed. And there is calcification of my jaw. My memory is bad. I failed the neurologist's cognitive test. I'm just always sick. I am not sure why he is looking into it, but it makes me nervous.
Thanks again for the answers.
Thanks again for the answers.
Re: Possible restriction in beta region, no M-protein found
Sounds like you are having a rough go of it. You might want to consider seeing a rheumatologist, if you aren't already. An autoimmune disease (which myeloma is not) could explain many of your symptoms.
Given you had a high IgA level (and likely a high calcium level in your blood), I can understand why your doctor would want to eliminate myeloma as a possibility. However, it really doesn't seem like you have myeloma from what you have presented here.
Given you had a high IgA level (and likely a high calcium level in your blood), I can understand why your doctor would want to eliminate myeloma as a possibility. However, it really doesn't seem like you have myeloma from what you have presented here.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
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