Zavie and Richard: It isn't either/or between a qPCR and a BMA. BMA is just one means of obtaining testable tissue, as is venipuncture, that is drawing blood from your arm. Both can be tested by any sort of PCR and by FISH. Conventional cytogenetics is the only test that pretty much relies on BMA (because it requires stem cells for culture and there aren't generally enough of these in the blood stream, which mainly hosts mature blood cells).
Most or all experts agree that a BMA is a good idea from time to time no matter what level of remission you have reached - generally yearly once you're in CCR or better. qPCR is indeed run on the BMA aspirate, but so is it run on peripheral blood drawn every three months. Hope this clarifies. Richard R > Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 18:14:19 -0400 > From: "Zavie Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: QPCR > > Hi Richard, > > This is an initiative that Novartis has started in Canada. They are > providing it free of charge right across Canada. I'm not sure what is in it > for them. Possibly to help standardize PCRs for all Canadians. If this is > the case, then I would want the identical test (same sensitivity) run over a > number of years so that we can track the disease. > > I don't believe that a QPCR replaces a BMA. Both are diagnostic tools and > your doctor decides which one he needs done. > > Zavie > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: schempp_richard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: September 21, 2004 4:37 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [CML] QPCR > > > This time when I visited my onc., she had me give a blood sample to > be sent to Montreal. Apparantly now they do a QPCR instead of the > somewhat traumatic BMA. Is this common practice now? > Richard S ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/8zSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> New! Sign up for local CML support group meetings in your local community at http://cml.meetup.com Apply for Commercial Real Estate loans online and submit your deal to dozens of hungry lenders in just minutes. Loan programs for all types of business and commercial real estate. Apply anytime at http://realestatezoo.com CML (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Support List) --------------------------------- Part Of CMLHope.Com An International Community Of CML Patients For more information: http://cmlhope.com Post Message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To No Mail/Web: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Digest: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CML Group Web Site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
