Diagnosis: Tumor markers
• Albumin can constitute 50% of amount of total protein by weight in serum. It is the single most abundant protein in serum.
• The monoclonal spike (i.e., the M-spike) is a sharp peak, typically present in the gamma globulin fraction of serum after separation by protein electrophoresis, and is indicative of a single species of immunoglobulin molecule. Its presence at this concentration is diagnostic for multiple myeloma.
• C-reactive protein (CRP) is a positive acute-phase reactant that can increase more than 100-fold above its normal levels in the setting of inflammation or infection. It migrates in the alpha globulin fraction of serum after separation via protein electrophoresis.
• “Prealbumin,” another name for the serum protein transthyretin, is not otherwise related to albumin. Prealbumin migrates ahead of the albumin peak in conventional agarose gel electrophoresis; therefore, this is how it was named.
• Microalbumin refers to low concentrations of albumin that are present in urine. It is elevated in patients with kidney injury and kidney disease.
