To Lilac: Thank you for your kind remarks regarding my effort to maintain an MGUS status. I need to correct an impression left in an earlier post that I was using various supplements. Actually, I dropped all supplements early on except for curcumin, which I consumed at a dose of 400 mg/day. As noted below, I have increased that dose to 800 mg/day, effective October 14, 2017, Permit me, Lilac, to wish you every success in maintaining your own MGUS status.
As indicated in my prior post of September 11, I needed to have additional blood work to make up for the lack of a determination of the kappa-lambda free light chain ratio for blood drawn on August 15. I now present new results on two key markers for blood drawn on Oct. 3 along with corresponding results from three prior blood samples:
Result Mar 31 May 17 Aug 15 Oct 03
M-spike 2.40 1.98 1.64 1.76
Kappa/lambda 93.7 52.18 --- 62.11
When both the M-spike and the kappa/lambda ratio are plotted as a function of passage of time, they yield, not the hoped-for continuous decline in those markers, but instead curves showing a plateau or limiting effect for the consumption of 400 mg/day of curcumin. This prompted the notion of immediately raising the daily dose of this supplement to 800 mg, to see if those markers can resume the declines found in the two earliest blood tests. The notion of increased dose is reasonable given anecdotal evidence of beneficial effects of curcumin by patients consuming up to 8 grams daily.
For the first time, flow cytometry results were presented for the latest two blood tests. The interpretations in both these cases were the same: For peripheral blood, there was "no immunophenotypic evidence of a hematolymphoid neoplasm" – a favorable conclusion.
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Re: Risk of progression from MGUS to multiple myeloma
In this post, I report new M-spike and kappa-lambda free light-chain ratio data for blood drawn on February 2, 2018.
As reported previously, daily consumption of 400 mg curcumin as a single supplement appeared to reduce the values of those two myeloma markers, but only to a limited extent. This led me to double the daily use to 800 mg the past four months with a view of seeking greater reductions in values of those markers, being aware that a number of myeloma patients obtain beneficial effects with as much as 8 grams daily with no ill effects.
The latest data for M-spike and kappa-lambda ratio suggest an enhanced positive effect of the higher dose of curcumin. Thus, keeping in mind data presented in the prior post, the M-spike dropped from 1.76 g/dL on Oct. 3, 2018 to 1.36 g/dL on Feb. 2, 2018. The extent of this drop, in my view, is all the more remarkable because in the first three years of my having MGUS, the M-spike ranged from 1.0 (when first diagnosed in 2008) to 1.7, thereafter continuing upwards until it reached 2.40 on March 31, 2017. It was at that point I started taking daily 400 mg curcumin until changing to the 800 mg dose on 10/3/17.
The kappa-lambda ratio likewise decreased over the past four months from 62.11 to 53.42. This drop was not as dramatic as that of the M-spike. It may be noted that this latest value is roughly the same as that on May 17, 2017 (52.18) when the M-spike of 1.98 was much higher than the latest value (1.36).
An additional finding: The beta-2-microglobulin dropped from 3.21 to 2.63 over the past four months. This is sometimes regarded as a myeloma marker, and so a decrease is a welcome result.
I plan to continue taking 800 mg curcumin daily to see how much I can further reduce the myeloma threat.
As reported previously, daily consumption of 400 mg curcumin as a single supplement appeared to reduce the values of those two myeloma markers, but only to a limited extent. This led me to double the daily use to 800 mg the past four months with a view of seeking greater reductions in values of those markers, being aware that a number of myeloma patients obtain beneficial effects with as much as 8 grams daily with no ill effects.
The latest data for M-spike and kappa-lambda ratio suggest an enhanced positive effect of the higher dose of curcumin. Thus, keeping in mind data presented in the prior post, the M-spike dropped from 1.76 g/dL on Oct. 3, 2018 to 1.36 g/dL on Feb. 2, 2018. The extent of this drop, in my view, is all the more remarkable because in the first three years of my having MGUS, the M-spike ranged from 1.0 (when first diagnosed in 2008) to 1.7, thereafter continuing upwards until it reached 2.40 on March 31, 2017. It was at that point I started taking daily 400 mg curcumin until changing to the 800 mg dose on 10/3/17.
The kappa-lambda ratio likewise decreased over the past four months from 62.11 to 53.42. This drop was not as dramatic as that of the M-spike. It may be noted that this latest value is roughly the same as that on May 17, 2017 (52.18) when the M-spike of 1.98 was much higher than the latest value (1.36).
An additional finding: The beta-2-microglobulin dropped from 3.21 to 2.63 over the past four months. This is sometimes regarded as a myeloma marker, and so a decrease is a welcome result.
I plan to continue taking 800 mg curcumin daily to see how much I can further reduce the myeloma threat.
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Mort - Name: Morton Golub
- When were you/they diagnosed?: MGUS - July 2008
- Age at diagnosis: 83
Re: Risk of progression from MGUS to multiple myeloma
As a follow-up to my prior post, I now report new values for M-spike and kappa/lambda free light chain ratio for blood drawn on June 21, 2018.
Once again, continued, positive effects of daily consumption of 800 mg curcumin on those two myeloma markers over the past 4+ months have been realized. Thus, the M-spike continued its decline from 1.36 on Feb. 2, 2018 to 0.62 on June 21, 2018.
I find the latter value impressive in that it is below the value of 1.0 obtained in 2008 when I was first diagnosed with MGUS. Correspondingly, the kappa/lambda ratio decreased from 53.42 to 43.80. There was no determination of that marker at the time of my initial diagnosis.
Summing up the history of my case, the use of curcumin as an anti-myeloma supplement has reduced the M-spike from the all-time high of 2.40 on Mar. 31, 2017 to 0.62, while the accompanying kappa/lambda ratio decreased from a high of 93.7, close to the threshold of 100 calling for therapy, to 43.80.
Assuming that the positive effect of curcumin continues to hold, whether at the current daily dose of 800 mg or higher if necessary, the threat of progression from MGUS to active myeloma for this 93-year old male may be regarded as negligible.
Once again, continued, positive effects of daily consumption of 800 mg curcumin on those two myeloma markers over the past 4+ months have been realized. Thus, the M-spike continued its decline from 1.36 on Feb. 2, 2018 to 0.62 on June 21, 2018.
I find the latter value impressive in that it is below the value of 1.0 obtained in 2008 when I was first diagnosed with MGUS. Correspondingly, the kappa/lambda ratio decreased from 53.42 to 43.80. There was no determination of that marker at the time of my initial diagnosis.
Summing up the history of my case, the use of curcumin as an anti-myeloma supplement has reduced the M-spike from the all-time high of 2.40 on Mar. 31, 2017 to 0.62, while the accompanying kappa/lambda ratio decreased from a high of 93.7, close to the threshold of 100 calling for therapy, to 43.80.
Assuming that the positive effect of curcumin continues to hold, whether at the current daily dose of 800 mg or higher if necessary, the threat of progression from MGUS to active myeloma for this 93-year old male may be regarded as negligible.
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Mort - Name: Morton Golub
- When were you/they diagnosed?: MGUS - July 2008
- Age at diagnosis: 83
Re: Risk of progression from MGUS to multiple myeloma
Hello Mort,
I just read through your entire post. I am so happy to hear that your numbers are moving in a better direction. I am smoldering and take 8 grams of curcumin along with a few other things and hope to stay stable for as long as possible.
Thanks for sharing your journey.
Eileen
I just read through your entire post. I am so happy to hear that your numbers are moving in a better direction. I am smoldering and take 8 grams of curcumin along with a few other things and hope to stay stable for as long as possible.
Thanks for sharing your journey.
Eileen
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Eileenk - Name: Eileen
- Who do you know with myeloma?: me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, September 2017
- Age at diagnosis: 49
Re: Risk of progression from MGUS to multiple myeloma
In this post I report new values for M-spike and kappa/lambda free light chain ratio (K/L) for blood drawn on two successive dates, November 15, 2018 and May 2, 2019. Because the data for the former date did not conform to the expected decline in both myeloma markers on daily consumption of 800 mg curcumin, it was decided to hold off submitting a post until another blood sample was analyzed. Recall what I stated in my prior post of July 16, 2018: “The use of curcumin … reduced the M-spike from an all-time high of 2.40 …to 0.62, while the (K/L) decreased from a high of 93.7 … to 43.80.”
The table below presents the new M-spike and K/L values for the latest two blood samples, plus those for two prior samples. The M-spike shows an increase from 0.62 (June 21, 2018) to 1.48 (November 15, 2018), followed by a decrease to 1.15 (May 2, 2019); K/L shows the opposite effect, a decrease from 43.80 to 28.11, followed by an increase to 37.12. This suggests that curcumin use may have led to another plateau or limiting effect, similar to what was noted in my post of October 18, 2017 when the daily consumption was raised from 400 to 800 mg. As a result, I increased my daily intake to 1200 mg on November 24, 2018. Despite the scatter in the data, which had been encountered in previous posts, I believe that a steady downward trend in these two myeloma markers is real, but it may require higher doses of curcumin to reach even lower values of these markers. Future blood samples will test that point of view.
Result 2018 2018 2018 2019
Feb 2 Jun 21 Nov 15 May 2
M-spike 1.36 0.62 1.48 1.15
K/L 53.42 43.80 28.11 37.12
Being asymptomatic and free of CRAB features, with bone marrow biopsy showing a plasma cell concentration of 5-10% and PET/CT scans revealingno lytic bone lesions, I assume I’m still in MGUS.
The table below presents the new M-spike and K/L values for the latest two blood samples, plus those for two prior samples. The M-spike shows an increase from 0.62 (June 21, 2018) to 1.48 (November 15, 2018), followed by a decrease to 1.15 (May 2, 2019); K/L shows the opposite effect, a decrease from 43.80 to 28.11, followed by an increase to 37.12. This suggests that curcumin use may have led to another plateau or limiting effect, similar to what was noted in my post of October 18, 2017 when the daily consumption was raised from 400 to 800 mg. As a result, I increased my daily intake to 1200 mg on November 24, 2018. Despite the scatter in the data, which had been encountered in previous posts, I believe that a steady downward trend in these two myeloma markers is real, but it may require higher doses of curcumin to reach even lower values of these markers. Future blood samples will test that point of view.
Result 2018 2018 2018 2019
Feb 2 Jun 21 Nov 15 May 2
M-spike 1.36 0.62 1.48 1.15
K/L 53.42 43.80 28.11 37.12
Being asymptomatic and free of CRAB features, with bone marrow biopsy showing a plasma cell concentration of 5-10% and PET/CT scans revealingno lytic bone lesions, I assume I’m still in MGUS.
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Mort - Name: Morton Golub
- When were you/they diagnosed?: MGUS - July 2008
- Age at diagnosis: 83
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