The FISH test examines a limited sample (usually not more than a few hundred) cells for the presence of BCR-ABL, the protein that causes CML. When the % of leukemic cells is less than the precision of the measuring equipment (which can vary from lab to lab), the patient is considered to be in cytogenic remission.
My personal opinion is that, while the FISH has some value in the early stages of treatment when the numbers might be relatively high, the only meaningful test once the FISH number is low, is the PCR test, which looks at millions of cells. Since Jim has been at this since '99, he ought to be having PCR tests at least every six months. If my Dr.'s nurse contacted me with test results, I'd fire the Dr. Jim's Dr. ought to be meeting with him and going over the test results in great detail. To my chagrin, I've found that the quality of both FISH and PCR testing can vary considerably. If I were Jim, I would make sure that the lab doing my test is among the best. The good ones are often associated with med schools and National Comprehensive Cancer sites. These places tend to be able to obtain the best equipment and provide the best training to lab techs. You can see a list and map of the National Centers at http://www.nccn.org/members/network.asp. The following web site has a list of the US' top 50 medical schools. Not all of them may have a significant hematology department, so check first. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php Mike Burwen dx 10/04 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [CMLHope] A support group of http://cmlhope.com ------------------------------------------------- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CMLHope" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
