Does monoclonal protein mean cancer?

M-protein is an antibody—or part of an antibody—that can show up in tests of your blood and/or urine, and its presence can mean different things. In blood cancers such as myeloma, the ‘M’ in ‘M protein’ stands for monoclonal. A monoclonal protein is produced by the abnormal, cancerous or precancerous cells.

What does no monoclonal protein mean?

A small number of patients with myeloma have either “oligosecretory disease,” in which the detectable level of monoclonal protein is low, or “nonsecretory disease,” in which no monoclonal protein can be detected.

What is an early monoclonal protein?

MGUS, short for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, is a condition that causes the body to create an abnormal protein. This protein is called monoclonal protein, or M protein. It’s made by white blood cells called plasma cells in the body’s bone marrow.

What is the purpose of the M protein?

M protein is strongly anti-phagocytic and is the major virulence factor for group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes). It binds to serum factor H, destroying C3-convertase and preventing opsonization by C3b.

How long can you live with monoclonal gammopathy?

Data from the Mayo Clinic showed that the median survival of MGUS patients was 8.1 years compared to 11.8 in the comparable US population.

Is monoclonal protein normal?

Finding M proteins in the blood or urine is usually a sign of disease. Their presence is associated most commonly with a type of cancer of the plasma cells called multiple myeloma.

What does high monoclonal protein mean?

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a condition in which an abnormal protein — known as monoclonal protein or M protein — is in your blood. This abnormal protein is formed within your bone marrow, the soft, blood-producing tissue that fills in the center of most of your bones.

Can you have myeloma without M spike?

Non-secretory Myeloma Some people with multiple myeloma don’t make enough M proteins or light chains for tests to show they have it. This is called non-secretory myeloma. A bone marrow biopsy can help diagnose this type of myeloma.

Can monoclonal protein disappear?

The M-protein disappeared in two MGUS patients upon follow-up, while the disappearance of M-protein was observed in 0.4\% to 4\% of MGUS patients in previous studies [4,12]. However, the underlying mechanism of the disappearance of M-protein remains poorly understood.