M-Spike, High Kappa and Kappa/Lambda Ratio
After experiencing chronic diarrhea for > four weeks, I decided to contact my gastro doctor. He ordered blood work and performed a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy with various biopsies. The colonoscopy, upper endoscopy and biopsies showed no sign of cancer or microscopic colitis, however the blood work showed a quite elevated IgA level. He referred me to a hematologist/oncologist who did further blood work, the results of which showed:
• Borderline low white blood count
• Borderline high red cell distribution width
• Low lymphocytes
• Low monocytes
And the most troublesome results:
• Kappa Free Light Chain Level: 290.7 mg/L, well outside of the 3.3-19.4 mg/L acceptable range
• Kappa/Lambda Ratio: 45, well outside of the .26-1.65 acceptable range
• IgA Level: 2111 mg/dL, well outside of the 70-400 mg/dL acceptable range
• IgG level of 698 mg/dL, barely outside of the 700-1660 mg/dL
• M-Spike: 1.29
There are other data points outside the reference ranges, but these are the ones that concern me most. I had been overseas when I received the results and asked my hematologist if I should cut my vacation short to come home for further evaluation/tests. He urged me not to do so and told me it can wait. I managed to enjoy my vacation but now that I returned I can't stop worrying. I'm following up with my hematologist to see what the next step is. I'm scared.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Blood Cancers & Disorders Support Group.
I am not a doctor. There are lots of resources for blood disorders.
Resources for multiple myeloma, Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance, Smoldering Myeloma
SmartPatients.com
Healthtree.org
MMRF. org. (Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation)
Myeloma Support Groups at imf.org
Myeloma coaches at Healthtree.org
Patient booklets at imf.org and MMRF.org
I made a mistake.
The website for the International Myeloma Foundation is myeloma.org…not imf.org
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@kappaking good morning. I’m so sorry you got all this information on vacation! I’m glad you were able to enjoy yourself. It is a shock to get all this new information with nobody to explain it to you and perhaps also being away from your usual support system.
I remember my anxiety being very high after I read my lab results in the patient portal prior to my MGUS diagnosis. Gosh, that was nearly three years ago.
There is a boatload of information on the Internet, but I would encourage you to resist the urge to do your own research and reach out to your hematologist for an expedited appointment. He or she can go over the results and tell you what, if any, follow up diagnostic testing you will require in order to get an accurate diagnosis. There may be skeletal scans, urinalysis, and/or bone biopsy.
My MGUS requires no treatment and we “watch (blood analysis every 6 months with occasional CT scans, etc) and wait. The statistics are in my favor that my MGUS will not progress to smoldering or Multiple Myeloma.
“Dr Google” seems to be a glass half empty kind of guy. Much better to speak directly to your hematologist. Speaking of hematologist, I wanted one who has experience in MGUS and Multiple Myeloma. I hope never to have Multiple Myeloma, but I wanted to develop a trusted relationship with someone experienced if necessary. I wanted a doc who listened to me and takes the time to answer all my questions. And man…I have questions. I write them down so I remember and I take my long-suffering spouse with me to appointments. He often remembers details of my doctor’s comments that I do not. There is so much going on there.
It’s important that you advocate for yourself within the healthcare system. Don’t let them put you as far as making timely appointments or getting back to you when you call. It is an overburdened and imperfect system. I am polite and courteous, but I am insistent. Be your own best advocate.
I’d love to hear about your experience as this unfolds for you. Did you have this hematologist before a recent bloodwork or is your hematologist new to you?
I have IgA kappa light chain MGUS (8 years). My GI problems are mostly celiac and controlled by not eating gluten (food logs are useful). My kappa is 130 and kappa/lamda is 11, and both have ramped up but go up and down. My RBC, WBC and most other bloodwork has been abnormal for years. I don't have MGUS symptoms. The risk MGUS morphing to cancer is 1% a year. Here are some links for MGUS info: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17744-monoclonal-gammopathy-of-undetermined-significance-mgus
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9387011/
Hematologists usually treat a variety of blood disorders. Myeloma specialists are hematologists who treat patients with MGUS, smoldering myeloma and multiple myeloma mostly. You can find a myeloma specialist at Healthtree.org and other websites.
I have IgA kappa myeloma. Only 20% of myeloma patients have IgA kappa. I have a hematologist at the local cancer center and a myeloma specialist at a major university research center. I consider my myeloma specialist as the “captain of the ship”. I meet with the myeloma specialist every 3, 6, or 9 months with telehealth visits. I see my local hematologist more frequently for treatments recommended by the myeloma specialist.
Each year more treatments for myeloma are approved by the FDA.
Dr. Urvi Shah at Memorial Sloan Kettering is studying how nutrition may slow the progression of MGUS (and maybe smoldering) to myeloma. She has lots of videos of her webinars on YouTube.
Eating a plant-based diet may help prevent MGUS turning into myeloma. Dr. Shah recommends eating tofu, tempeh and beans as the sources of protein rather than meat, chicken, eggs, etc.
Turmeric is a spice that kills myeloma cells in a Petri dish. Science has not determined the effect of turmeric on myeloma cancer cells in humans. I sprinkle one teaspoon or more on my food several times a day. I drink golden milk with turmeric and black pepper. Be sure to eat black pepper with turmeric to aid digestion. A plant-based oil is also recommended. I have a high-risk mutation, but my myeloma is not progressing as expected. I think it is the turmeric slowing the progression, but doctors don’t confirm this because of the lack of scientific evidence. Dr. Shah suggests supplements with curcumin, the active part of turmeric.
Dr. Shah has clinical trials about nutrition for newly diagnosed patients and patients with MGUS, I believe..
On SmartPatients.com. I am ClaireATX. You can read my health profile and posts there.
@kappaking I have Smoldering Myeloma. IgA at about 1300. Neither my Kappa Chains nor Kappa/Lamba ratio is as high as yours. Several of my other blood results (WBC, RDW, lympho- and other cytes) are like your results), M-Spike higher (although I've read that this is not represented well in IgA type Myelomas), IgG very low (240 or so). Find a hematologist/oncologist who specializes in Myeloma. Read as much as you can. Join Myeloma support sites and talk with others who have it. Don't panic. Ask questions of your doctor(s).
There is a tiny percentage of curcumin in tumeric, and it is very poorly absorbed by the body; absorption is increased by the peperine in black pepper. The peperine can irritate the GI tract in some people (me). I have IgA kappa MGUS and take 1000 mg 2x/day of bioavailable curcumin capsules. The curcumin is modified slightly to increase absorption by the GI tract and retention in ones body (by attaching a lipid [fat] to the curcumin molecules, for example}. Research suggests curcumin is useful for moderating kappa levels, although studies and results are still limited. I'm good with being a lab rat. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c07326
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9881416/#:~:text=Curcumin%20is%20the%20most%20important,of%20the%20root%20(30).
When I was diagnosed with an M-spike 2 years ago which turned out to be IgG MGUS. I checked with a retired oncologist friend who told me to make sure that I used a doctor associated with a major medical center. He did not have confidence in the local hematologists/oncologists when it came to dealing with multiple myeloma because they didn't see much of it. I followed his direction; and after speaking with other patients using local doctors, I am glad that I did. My numbers continue to climb slowly. My hemotologist/oncologist checks my bloodwork every 3 - 4 months. I receive iron infusions as necessary. He will start treatment if/when my "bad cells" reach 10%. At my last appointment, my light chain ratio was nearly twice what yours is, but I don't let it keep me down. I slow down/take breaks when I need to, and keep a positive attitude. I try to avoid sick people because of my lowered immune system. I have a little pain in my bones, but I treat with a turmeric & ginger tea, and/or an OTC pain reliever. I am now due for a bone scan. We will see if anything turns up. My advice: Make sure that you get a good doctor who is WELL INFORMED about Multiple Myeloma. Don't panic. Don't think this is the end of the road. You've got a long way to go yet, and it may not ever turn into full-blown MM. Just be sure to live your life in a way that is as good and as satisfying as you can make it. God bless!