Kappa Free Light Chain Myeloma

But myeloma cells can cause fatigue easy bleeding and lowered resistance to infections.

Kappa free light chain myeloma. Susan leclair discusses what kappa light chains are and answers what an increase in kappa light chain numbers might mean for a patient with myeloma. In the clip dr. That can help your doctor determine if you. Leclair provides a thorough scientific breakdown of light chains and the way they work.

The light chains can show up in the urine. There are 2 types of light chains called kappa and lambda. They only produce part of the immunoglobulin called the light chain. Each of these immunoglobulins have a light chain like kappa or lambda and a heavy chain like igg iga igm etc.

In this patient power segment host dr. Free light chains is a test that checks how much of an antibody called light chains are in your blood. In myeloma patients these numbers are typically abnormal. The median survival from diagnosis was 30 mo for 52 patients with kappa lcd and 10 mo for 45 patients with lambda lcd p less than 0 0007.

In igg kappa myeloma the myeloma cells produce an immunoglobulin made from two igg heavy chains bound to two kappa light chains. Light chain myeloma sometimes called bence jones myeloma. This means type g immunoglobulin one of the possible types of heavy chain one combination of types of light chain kappa or lambda. The second most common type is the iga myeloma also in combination with any of the two light chains.

This can be measured by the free light chain assay test on a blood specimen. When myeloma progresses the myeloma cells start to produce more light chains than heavy chains. 65 of patients with myeloma have an igg type. Kappa light chain multiple myeloma treatment multiple myeloma is a rare form of cancer that begins in the bone marrow when abnormal plasma cells accumulate and crowd out healthy blood cells.

A lower proportion of kappa lcd patients 15 7 than lambda lcd patients 42 2 died within the first 6 mo after diagnosis. Leclair is a patient power host and retired chancellor professor from the department of medical laboratory science at the university of massachusetts dartmouth. What are light chains. In general the higher the free light chains the more aggressive the disease is.

About 20 out of 100 people with myeloma 20 do not produce complete immunoglobulins. One of the key markers that myeloma doctors pay attention to are 1 the involved light chain for your type of myeloma kappa or lambda and 2 the kappa lambda light chain ratio. Therefore the serum free light chain test is a better predictor of outcome than the amount of m protein in the blood. Healthy blood cells produce antibodies that help to fight infection.

The most common type of myeloma is igg kappa. In this type of myeloma the myeloma cells secrete only light chain protein and no heavy chains. Igm ige and igd types have one much lower incidence.