New to kappa light chain testing

First of all, your physicians are being cautious and checking everything! That’s good.

The “normal” range of kappa free light chains goes up to 19.4 according to this informative website regarding myeloma:

Therefore, I think your “close” to normal and slightly decreasing results of free light chain count results could be hopeful news and might calm your nerves as you await further appointments and testing.

I believe that malignancy is not the only thing the free kappa light chains can indicate, kidney disfunction and anemia can be related too.

I would expect the flurry of activity you are now experiencing to be that process of hopefully ruling out any presence of cancer.
That is why you were referred to an expert!

There are other factors in blood and urine that they will consider. A skeletal survey may be taken with x rays and a bone marrow biopsy may be suggested or performed.

You will be kept busy for awhile but you will have more definitive answers soon!

I wish you patience and strength as you endure the circumstances.
I wish you the very best outcome as well as continued excellent care from your providers. It sounds like they are really looking out for your best interest!
Hoping for happy and healthy years ahead for you!💛

Thank you so much for your reply. I have been through so much this last 2 1/2 years with grieving the suicide of my 50 year old middle son. It hasn't been easy to deal with grief and other health issues I'm having besides these tests. I'm 73 years old and have been shaking like a leaf and have I've been a nervous wreck since I realized these light chains were abnormal.

I am so sorry for your loss; please accept my sympathy from across cyberspace.

I truly wish I could give you a hug and help you through the appointments.
Do you have a friend or relative who might accompany you and help take notes if needed?
An advocate by your side is a great benefit.

Everything is amplified when we are already suffering emotionally.

I hope that you will find yourself calmed and comforted by good healthcare providers through this process of essentially “ruling out” everything out or providing a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

I hope you are able to find some positive distractions for both grief as well as that worry you have been experiencing due to these abnormalities.

I truly hope they find there is nothing concerning to treat or diagnose now.

Perhaps you will continued to be monitored after all this evaluative work is completed.

That wouldn’t even indicate anything terrible. Some of these blood plasma disorders are simply checked on every few months or annually, just to make sure that any increasing numbers or indications of disease are found quickly.

I am not a doctor but I am aware that people with much higher numbers in this category of free light chains are often still quite well.

(By the way, as far as statistics go, the “kappa” variety is less likely to progress to anything than the “lambda” type.)

Much love to you across cyberspace!
And many positive thoughts for you and your well being!

There must be 2 different units for these analytes. My recent values are below and no one seems concerned about them

Analyte Value
KAPPA 121 L Reference Range: 176-443 mg/dL
LAMBDA 72 L Reference Range: 91-240 mg/dL
KAPPA/LAMBDA RATIO 1.68 Reference Range: 1.29-2.55

My MMUNOGLOBULIN G and Gamma globulin are also low but I do have CLL

Hello, Rosemary 73,

I am so sorry for the loss of your son. All kindness to you.

I have Kappa IgA myeloma. I am 74 years old. I was diagnosed at age 69.

When the kappa/lambda ratio reaches 100, then the cancer, multiple myeloma, may be diagnosed.

Other indications of myeloma are anemia, bone pain, poor kidney function and high calcium levels.

If you want to learn more about myeloma, you can watch videos by myeloma specialists at Healthtree.org. There is more information on the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation website, MMRF.org, and the International Myeloma Foundation website, myeloma.org

Myeloma is a treatable cancer. Patients are living longer and longer lives with the development of new treatments.

@rosemary73
Welcome to Connect. I’m glad you found us but so sorry you are going through this worry. My heart goes out to you for that, but also your loss due to the death of your son. It’s hard to even wrap my head around the magnitude of your grief.
Thanks to @juniperjgin for that excellent resource on lab results. I have tucked that away to pull out for future reference.
Your PCP is being diligent. That’s a good thing. No doubt she/he is making sure that the referral to a hematologist/oncologist will have experience in working with blood cancers, but also precursor conditions that are benign. Early detection is a good thing.
Blood chemistry is a very complicated science and in my experience, general practitioners and other medical specialists know little about it. It’s a lot of highly complex knowledge to keep up with. It’s good that you’re going to see a specialist.
Anxiety is such a normal reaction when things look wrong in our test results. Every time I get lab work done if I look at my chart before I actually sit down with the physician, I get highly anxious. So I don’t. I wait until I have the appointment and then sit down and ask all my questions in the moment. I have a hematologist/oncologist who is very patient with me and takes his time to ensure that I have all the information that I need to make informed decisions about my healthcare. That’s essential. The best resource for analyzing your blood results is your specialist. Knowing what the raw data says is easy. We can all look that up. It’s the dance between the values that creates the bigger diagnostic picture.
If you can try and sit with this information and stay in the moment without thinking ahead and engaging in the “what ifs“ you will find your anxiety will be more manageable. There are some cool guided imagery and meditation YouTube videos that help a lot when I’m having trouble keeping my focus in the positive realm. Anxiety is not your friend. It will make you actually feel sick, it can raise your white count. It is probably hard for you to differentiate between anxiety and grief. It must feel overwhelming.
My thoughts are with you and I hope that you are utilizing whatever supports you have among family, friends, and the broader community through support groups and grief work. When is your appointment with your hematologist/oncologist? Will you please let me know how you were doing and the results of your appointment?

I was recently diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (aka: Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma). I've had high IgM, high kappa light chains, and a high kappa/lambda ratio since 2017, it turned into cancer in the past year or so. High kappa light chains alone are not cause for worry, it's only when it is combined with a high ratio and numerous other abnormal bone marrow findings that it becomes cause for concern. Trust your doctor on this one. There is no telling how many people with no issues whatsoever are walking around with high light chains never having a single symptom.

Rosemary, I am so sorry you’re experiencing such anxiety over this on top of the trauma and grief you’ve been through. I want to reassure you that your kappa free light chains are barely elevated and non malignant conditions can cause this. Chronic inflammation is a common one, often related to arthritis or autoimmune disorders. Our minds naturally jump to worst case scenarios when most of the time it is much less serious than we fear. Your Drs will do the appropriate screening for this finding just to be thorough and likely put you on a schedule of just monitoring your blood results 2-3 x per year. I am 74, have elevated lambda light chains, 5 years now, stable, and my hematologist jokes that I am in his large group of “no worries” patients with this finding. I will bet you will be in a similar group when all your screening is done. Let us know the outcome and I am glad you found this website for information and support!