Hi Sandy, A bone marrow biopsy is recommended at diagnosis because it allows the doctor to look at all the chromosomes and not only chromosomes 9 and 22 that gives rise to CML. Some patients have other chromosomal abnormalities and doctors need to know that. A PCR cannot look at all chromosomes. A bone marrow biopsy uses the cytogenetics testing which looks at 20 of your marrow cells and counts how many has the bad chromosome called the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. If all 20 cells have this, you are 100%Ph+. This is quite common and my husband was 100%Ph+ 4.5 years ago.
Since a bone marrow biopsy cytogenetics testing is only looking at 20 cells, doctors have to use more sensitive testing that can look at more cells since our body has trillion blood cells. So, PCR testing is used, it can detect 1 bad cell in as many as 100,000 to 1 million cells. At diagnosis, the PCR test gives a result as a percentage of good cells to total cells and it was 7.3% for you. Doctors are looking for a 1000-fold or a 3-log PCR reduction at 1 year of Gleevec because at this level of disease, relapse risk from Gleevec is very low. You have had this level of reduction. If your diagnosis PCR was 7.3%, a 1000-fold reduction is 0.007% and you are lower than that. You are doing extremely well on Gleevec to reach this great response in 3 months! Congratulations! Recent data has come out that PCR undetectable, meaning no leukemia cells detected in 100,000 cells, called PCRU is deemed an even greater response to get. Because those who are PCR undetectable, they have had no relapses in 5 years follow-up. So, I wish you speedy PCR undetectable, we call it PCRU. Please do ask questions if you need clarification. The CML experts recommend every 3-6 months PCR monitoring. Is your doctor doing any more bone marrow biopsies? If he does do that at the 6 month mark, he will probably find you are 0/20 cells called 0%Ph+ which is called complete cytogenetic remission.(CCR) Answer to your question: You have a major molecular response. Congratulations! Best Wishes, Anjana caregiver to Roy 400mg Gleevec d/x Jan 2002 PCR 2.8 log --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
