what numbers are important?

What values are the most important when evaluating the stage of MM?  For example I hear a lot about M-spike and also blood plasma?  Are these values usually directly related to the amount of organ damage or is it all really individual?  As you can tell, I am very new to this.  I am told my mom has m-spike of 1.1 and plasma of 10%.  Do these values alone signify anything or do I need a bigger picture?  I have also been told she doesn't have any organ damage but her calcium is slightly elevated and she has anemia.  According to the "staging criteria" I have been reading about, this most likely puts her into smoldering, yet her doctor is on the fence. 

Kim

Sorry noone has reponded to you yet.  This is a tough question because this disease is sooooo individual.  Her numbers appear to be fairly low and this is good because the sooner mm is identified the more likely that she will have a better outcome.

The biggest concerns are kidney damage, bone damage and low blood counts (usually hemoglobin is the problem).  High calcium levels are usually a sign of bone damage.

Many doctors feel that it is best to watch and wait until the numbers go above a certain level or there are signs of these other problems before treating.  For someone with smoldering mm, that can be years or it may not even ever reach that stage.  Whether your mom is at that stage may be up for debate.

What is important is that there is good communication with the doctor and that you understand his/her plan.  If this is not a myeloma specialist, you may want to search one out for a second opinion.  Most general hematologist/oncologists see very few patients with mm and may not be up on the latest treatments and research.

Good luck,

Janet