Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Need help understanding the BCR-ABL report

Started by Puneet , Dec 24 2014 09:53 AM

Please log in to reply

5 replies to this topic

#1 Puneet

Member

Members
14 posts

Posted 24 December 2014 - 09:53 AM

Hi,

My wife was diagnosed with CML around first week of Aug'14. The WBC count was at 165K..... The BCR-ABL transcript was detected to be 40.612%. The dr started her on Sprycel 100 mg (7 days) which has now been reduced to 70 mg as her CBC has constantly remained low - WBC continues to hover around 3K.

This week she went through another BCR-ABL test and the transcript was detected to be 0.138%. Now should we be excited and jumping up and down or should we be concerned that it has still not reached 0.001%. Personally, I feel this is a good progress made but my wife feels frustrated as she was really hoping that she would have gotten into remission (if there is such a thing in CML) by now...... So, we are really not sure on how to react. The dr thinks this is good progress and will discuss more when we meet him next week.

I would like get other people's experience on how it progresses normally.....

Appreciate it.

Puneet

Back to top

#2 Trey

Advanced Member

PS Beta Group
1,705 posts

LocationSan Antonio, Texas

Posted 24 December 2014 - 10:23 AM

Jump up and down vigorously, but don't fall down and hurt yourselves.

Back to top

#3 Antilogical

Advanced Member

Members
284 posts

LocationPittsburgh, PA

Posted 24 December 2014 - 08:17 PM

Looks like an excellent response to me! Celebrate with some bubbly and a box of expensive chocolates!

Dx: Sudden severe anemia detected 07/2011, followed by WBC spike. CML Dx 02/2012.

Rx: 03/2012-Gleevec400. Reduced 02/2013 to Gleevec300 due to side effects (low blood counts).

Response: PCR-Und within 7 mo. on G400. Maintained MMR4-MMR4.5 on G300. PCR-Und since 02/2016.

Back to top

#4 Puneet

Member

Members
14 posts

Posted 31 December 2014 - 07:14 AM

Thanks a lot, Trey and Antilogical.... We did meet with the Oncologist and he is satisfied with the progress.... In fact, he did say that the progress is "excellent" when my ever-so-skeptical wife kept prodding him. He is a very level-headed person (does not get too excited either way) - so, yeah! that did help pep my wife.

Her WBC (and other blood counts) continue to be on the low side. He is continuing to keep her on Sprycel 70 mg for another three months and then do a BCR-ABL testing. He is expecting it to go down to .01% at which point he is contemplating switching to Gleevac for a month to see if her counts come back up. The flip-side is Gleevac has more side effects than Sprycel.