Thread: Transplant
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Old Mon Feb 1, 2010, 03:07 PM
Hopeful Hopeful is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: California, USA
Posts: 766
Hi Lee,

I agree with Marlene in that if your AA/MDS is behaving like AA, then the ATG was not futile. How are your counts now? Are your platelets still holding? Remember that ATG takes a few months to work. There is no harm in starting a BMT search during this time.

It is true ATG won't cure AA/MDS and will do nothing for PNH. However, if your AA/MDS goes into remission then you have bought some time (possibly years or even decades). For AA/MDS, I was under the impression that the reasons to move to a transplant would be because of increasing blasts, increasing fibrosis, or no response to immune suppressant or other MDS drugs. Otherwise, you really need to weigh the risks.

PNH can be controlled with other drugs like Solaris. Are you on this now? What is your clone size? Do you know if any of your doctors are specialists in PNH? Check out this great PNH website for more information on physicians and treatments:
http://www.pnhdisease.org/modules.ph...viewlink&cid=1

Try not to panic. As Marlene said, think about all your options. I know the waiting-game after ATG is brutal. I hope your counts are holding or improving and that you are responding to the ATG!
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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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