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Old Sun Mar 4, 2012, 10:25 PM
Greg H Greg H is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 660
Paul,

This is going to sound like a broken record, but I can't see the benefit of annual BMBs in the absence of clinical symptoms.

Imagine that his CBC is fine, they do a BMB, and they find dysplasia in one or more cell lines (the hallmark of MDS). What's the next step? If that dysplasia isn't affecting his counts, is it MDS? Maybe, maybe not.

Even if his counts started to slide and he had dysplasia, I'm not sure a transplant would be the first line therapy.

We know how to look at bone marrow and see that dysplastic forms are present. We know how to look at chromosomes and see that some are broken. What we do not know is exactly what those things mean in every single case.

I can't imagine treating someone who has normal counts. So, I can't see the value of a BMB unless the counts are abnormal.

Take care!

Greg
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Greg, 59, dx MDS RCMD Int-1 03/10, 8+ & Dup1(q21q31). NIH Campath 11/2010. Non-responder. Tiny telomeres. TERT mutation. Danazol at NIH 12/11. TX independent 7/12. Pancreatitis 4/15. 15% blasts 4/16. DX RAEB-2. Beginning Vidaza to prep for MUD STC. Check out my blog at www.greghankins.com
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