Occasionally, the malignant plasma cells make only the light chain component of the antibody. IgM myelomas are rare, but when IgM is elevated in the blood, the patient more likely has a related disorder, known as Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia. The most common type of heavy chain produced in myeloma is IgG, followed by IgA and then IgD.

Therefore, the myeloma can be classified by the type of light and heavy chains produced, such as IgG kappa, IgG lambda, IgA kappa, or IgA lambda, etc. In myeloma, all the abnormal plasma cells make the same antibody. There are 5 kinds of heavy chains termed IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE and 2 distinct types of light chain, termed kappa and lambda. Antibodies typically consist of 2 heavy chains and 2 light chains. Normal plasma cells help to defend the body against infection by producing antibodies. The disease has numerous consequences, including anemia causing fatigue, bone loss resulting in weakening of the bones, bone fractures, and pain, kidney damage sometimes resulting in the need for dialysis, high calcium levels, altered immunity resulting in infections, and nerve damage which can cause numbness, tingling, or even pain and loss of strength. It is a cancer with a vast spectrum of presentations, ranging from an indolent (slowly developing) form to a virulent form from a disorder with a minimal protein abnormality and only a small number of malignant plasma cells, to a cancer that can result in rapid progression and death. Antibodies protect humans from infections.

Multiple Myeloma (also known as Myeloma or Plasma Cell Myeloma) is a malignancy of plasma cells, which are the white blood cells responsible for the production of antibodies (proteins). > Links for Patients, Clinicians and Researchers > References Background > Treatment > Myeloma: Complications and Management > Symptoms and Diagnosis > Staging > Prognosis > Definition of Responses Background > Etiology, Epidemiology and Pathophysiology > Evaluation and Diagnosis

Protein electrophoresis mnemonic