Great question! IgG myeloma is actually a heavy chain myeloma. Here's a simple breakdown of why:
Normal antibodies are shaped like a "Y" and are made up of two parts:
- Heavy chains — the longer proteins that form the stem of the Y
- Light chains — the shorter proteins at the top of the Y
In IgG myeloma, the abnormal Show Full Answer
Great question! IgG myeloma is actually a heavy chain myeloma. Here's a simple breakdown of why:
Normal antibodies are shaped like a "Y" and are made up of two parts:
- Heavy chains — the longer proteins that form the stem of the Y
- Light chains — the shorter proteins at the top of the Y
In IgG myeloma, the abnormal plasma cells are producing too much of the IgG heavy chain protein. This makes it a heavy chain myeloma. IgG is actually the most common type of myeloma, affecting about two-thirds of all people with the disease. So your mother is in good company there!
Light chain myeloma is a separate, less common type where the plasma cells only produce the smaller "light chain" part of the antibody, rather than the full heavy chain protein.
It's always a good idea to ask her oncologist about what her specific IgG levels mean for her treatment plan and monitoring.
May 21
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