|
Hi Jody,
Just a little clarification...
You must convert the % to the decimal notation.
ALC = 2.8k x .805 = 2.254k
From my recollection of Dr. Young's presentation, this meant that he had a high probability of *responding* to IST, as his ALC was above 1k at the time of diagnosis. If someone responds to IST, they generally have a higher probability of survival. As others have pointed out, these are just statistics and there are always exceptions.
It looks like Trevor did have a strong response to IST but has been plagued by infections. Infections and any stress on the immune system are dangerous for bone marrow failure patients as we don't have the large reserves of blood cells that normal people have. As long as Trevor's body is able to fight the infection, and his counts come back up, it is not considered a relapse. If his counts don't come back, that is an indication of a relapse.
Because RBC's last for so much longer than WBCs and Platelets, it's not unusual to see them lag behind in their fall and rise.
__________________
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
|