2 replies to this topic

[donnadavis]

I read where the platelets are the last to normalize when starting Gleevec. My question are platelets the first to react to a medication failure. With both Gleevec and Tasigna  my  blood levels started rising ,slowly at first, then fairly rapidly. My WBC was on the high end and then started up rapidly. When I was diagnosed with CML my WBC were off  the charts and my platelets normal. My onc. says CBC's are not all  that  reliable but I guess I still look for warning signs. And I have always wondered if they are not that reliable why do I need one once a month?

[Trey]

That is a generalized statement and normally what happens.  High platelets and a normal WBC are often the first sign of CML.  It can sometimes be an indicator of relapse, but not a reliable one since platelets can bounce around depending on a number of factors.

[CallMeLucky]

The CBC's I don't think are as much for detecting elevated counts as much as detecting other things about your overall health such as counts that drop too low or other things they look at like liver enzymes and other things in the metabolic panel.  I believe that is why we do frequent CBC, not to monitor the CML (FISH and PCR for that) but to monitor how we are reacting to the drugs.