Hi, elrojo.
Getting a specific diagnosis is very important. Have you been to the
MD Anderson Cancer Center? They are the experts on bone marrow failure in the Houston area. If you haven't been there already and if your doctor hasn't consulted the hematologists there, you might consider going there for an evaluation or second opinion.
Your pancytopenia and lack of dysplasia might fit a diagnosis of aplastic anemia. An enlarged spleen can be a symptom of MDS but since you have normal cells and (I assume) they didn't find chromosomal abnormalities, it doesn't match the usual signs of MDS. I don't know what "pre-MDS" means.
It's worth asking which growth factor you were given. It may be Filgrastim, Neupogen or Neulasta, which are used to stimulate white cell growth. There are also red cell growth factors, Procrit, Epogen, and Aranesp.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elrojo
The bone marrow biopsy showed lower than expected level of red and white blood cells, but normal counts for platelets.
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It's not clear to me if this refers to the mature cells that leave the marrow and enter the blood stream or the immature cells in your bone marrow. With routine blood tests (called CBCs for Complete Blood Counts) they measure the mature cells in your circulating blood. In your bone marrow exam they were looking at the immature "precursor" cells that normally mature into blood cells and then enter the bloodstream. It might be helpful for you to ask what your "cellularity" is; that's the percentage of young blood-forming cells found during your bone marrow biopsy, and to confirm that your chromosomes looked normal.
Decisions about treatment (including no treatment) depend on the diagnosis, the specifics of your condition, how your blood counts and other symptoms change over time, and your age.
We forum members are patients and caregivers, not hematologists, so your doctor should be the key source of explanations behind your diagnosis. Ask lots of questions! I hope you have a doctor who will take the time to answer them.