[tpt]

Smoldering myeloma after stem cell transplant?

by tpt on Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:21 am

Hi All,

Have there been any cases where active multiple myeloma turned into (or rather, behave similar to) to smoldering myeloma after a stem cell transplant?

My father had an autologous stem cell transplant in 2013 and achieved a pretty good response. He was not put on any maintenance regimens.

His numbers have been creeping up very slowly, and as of last month, his readings were:

Kappa light chain: 53 mg/L
Lambda light chain: 15 mg/L
Ratio: 3.5

Several months after transplant (in 2013), his kappa LC was hovering in the low 30s mg/L.

I am feeling blessed that each day passes by without him having to take pills or injections.

I know from the forum that doctors usually do not start treatment until the ratio gets very high (100 is the number I see most often), but is a case like my father's unusual?

Aside, when he was first diagnosed with myeloma due to compression fracture in 2011, his kappa light chain was not very high, around 700s mg/L. I am especially worried with this, because this may indicate that his "tolerance" was only around that level. (I read a lot of people who had readings in the tens of thousands during diagnosis.) Oh, he also has p53d.

Any comments or thoughts are very much appreciated. Thanks.