Abnormal Heavy/Light Chain Ratio and Matched Pair Suppression Increase Residual Disease Detection Sensitivity in Patients With Multiple Myeloma With Deep Responses.

BACKGROUND: Heavy/light chain (HLC) assay can quantify involved as well as uninvolved immunoglobulin pairs and is used to detect monoclonal proteins.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared the sensitivity between HLC assay and serum protein electrophoresis, serum immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE), and free light chain (FLC) assay in patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (n = 111) whose responses were stable disease or better.

RESULTS: Among patients with negative IFE and normal FLC ratios, 84.4% (38 of 45) and 80% (36 of 45) exhibited normal HLC ratios and no pair suppression, respectively (13.3% [6 of 45], moderate pair suppression and 6.7% [3 of 45], severe pair suppression). The lower the monoclonal protein levels, the more the possibility that the patients had normal HLC ratios and no matched pair suppression (both P < .000001). HLC ratios or pair suppression combined with IFE results and FLC ratios were more sensitive for detecting monoclonal proteins than were IFE results and FLC ratios alone (P = .016 and .0039, respectively). A combination of all 4 methods (IFE, FLC, HLC, and pair suppression) was far more sensitive than were IFE findings plus FLC ratios alone (P = .00024).

CONCLUSION: Abnormal HLC ratios and HLC-matched pair suppression can increase the sensitivity for detecting residual disease in patients with multiple myeloma with deep responses.