Dr. Neil Young once gave a presentation that showed that having a high Absolute Lymphocyte Count (ALC) or high Absolute Reticulocyte Count (ARC) *before* ATG was a favorable predictor of response, as it indicated minimum bone marrow damage. A high ARC was defined as > 25k/ul. A high ALC was defined as > 1k/ul. Response rate was over 80%!
You can check out his presentation on this titled "Advances in Treatment..." at:
https://live.blueskybroadcast.com/bs...=1016&CAT=1592
All of his presentations are very interesting, and he has many positive things to say about the probablility of children responding to treatment.
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55 yo female, dx 9/08, AA/hypo-MDS, subclinical PNH, ATG/CsA 12/08, partial response. small trisomy 6 clone, low-dose cyclosporine dependent
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