Anybody know if Hopkins got new more sensitive PCR equipment? Just got my latest and it was".007 IS" whereas before it was reported as "<.01which is below the sensitivity of the test"
Just wondering!
Posted 14 July 2017 - 09:43 PM
Anybody know if Hopkins got new more sensitive PCR equipment? Just got my latest and it was".007 IS" whereas before it was reported as "<.01which is below the sensitivity of the test"
Just wondering!
DX 6/2013
Sprycel 100mg
CCR 3/2015
MMR 2/2016
<.01 IS 10/16 hopkins didn't report actual percentage
.007 IS 6/2017
<.01 12/2017 again no actual percentage but didn't see the report myself yet
Posted 15 July 2017 - 12:48 PM
Aaarrgh, here we go again! I just got used to JH doing the <0.01 thing. My next one is in September; I'll post. BTW, have you ever been able to get your PCR results on MyChart from JH?
Dx July 2009 on routine physical. WBC 94. Started Gleevec 400 mg Sept 2009. MMR at 2yrs. Side effects (malaise, depression/anxiety, fatigue, nausea, periorbital edema) never improved. Kidney issues developed because of Gleevec. Switched to Sprycel 70 mg in Aug 2011. Above side effects disappeared or improved. Have been MR3.5 - 4.5 ever since. Two untreated pleural effusions followed by one treated by stopping Sprycel Jan 2017. After 9 weeks, PCR showed loss of MMR; re-started Sprycel at 50 mg and in 3 months was back to <0.01% IS. Pleural effusion returned within a couple of months, same as before (moderate, left side only). Stopped Sprycel 50 mg for 12 weeks; pleural effusion resolved. At about a monthoff the drug, PCR was 0.03; at 11 weeks it was 2.06 - lost CCyR? Have returned to 50 mg Sprycel for 3 weeks, intending to reduce to 20 mg going forward.
Posted 15 July 2017 - 04:26 PM
Posted 15 July 2017 - 08:51 PM
Kat, yes once they scanned and posted my PCR results on Mychart, that changed to just posting a notice that they came in, and now they don't even put up a notice - I got these results from my PC Physician! I'm always the last to know!
DX 6/2013
Sprycel 100mg
CCR 3/2015
MMR 2/2016
<.01 IS 10/16 hopkins didn't report actual percentage
.007 IS 6/2017
<.01 12/2017 again no actual percentage but didn't see the report myself yet
Posted 15 July 2017 - 08:52 PM
Thatguy, will do!
DX 6/2013
Sprycel 100mg
CCR 3/2015
MMR 2/2016
<.01 IS 10/16 hopkins didn't report actual percentage
.007 IS 6/2017
<.01 12/2017 again no actual percentage but didn't see the report myself yet
Posted 16 July 2017 - 08:38 AM
It is not the equipment, but rather a decision by the lab to report lower results, in this case down to -4.5 log reduction. I believe this is being done due to the interest in cessation, and the desire to understand the depth of results.
Posted 16 July 2017 - 02:22 PM
Not sure about that. This is the way they used to do it, for years and years. When they fairly recently went to not reporting below 0.01, I interpreted that as politically motivated to patients from getting too wrapped up in these way-out-there decimal points and lobbying for cessation or reduction. I think if they've changed back to being more specific perhaps it's because they've gone to what they believe is a better testing procedure. But blueheron and our fellow JH CMLers will never know, since we never actually see our reports, with all the lab language on them.
Dx July 2009 on routine physical. WBC 94. Started Gleevec 400 mg Sept 2009. MMR at 2yrs. Side effects (malaise, depression/anxiety, fatigue, nausea, periorbital edema) never improved. Kidney issues developed because of Gleevec. Switched to Sprycel 70 mg in Aug 2011. Above side effects disappeared or improved. Have been MR3.5 - 4.5 ever since. Two untreated pleural effusions followed by one treated by stopping Sprycel Jan 2017. After 9 weeks, PCR showed loss of MMR; re-started Sprycel at 50 mg and in 3 months was back to <0.01% IS. Pleural effusion returned within a couple of months, same as before (moderate, left side only). Stopped Sprycel 50 mg for 12 weeks; pleural effusion resolved. At about a monthoff the drug, PCR was 0.03; at 11 weeks it was 2.06 - lost CCyR? Have returned to 50 mg Sprycel for 3 weeks, intending to reduce to 20 mg going forward.
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users